Please Don't Forget Me
by backstrokin' babe
Summary: When Gabi leaves w/o telling Troy why, what will he do? When she returns to tell him 5 years later, will her forgive her or will their relationship be forever damaged? Sucky summary, but I swear it's not that bad.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I decided to try to write this, as I have been recently obsessed with HSM fanfics. It's so much easier to use characters that you can actually put faces to. But anywho, this is just a teaser. It's mostly flashback, and I'd appreciate it if you would review if you like it. Otherwise, I'll just discontinue it. Also, please check out my other story, Iliana. It's pretty good, if I do say so myself. Haha jk, but seriously. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

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Gabriella Montez sat in her bed, legs hugged to her chest, back against the headboard, crying hysterically while trying to keep as quiet as possible. She couldn't have Jackson coming in to find her like this. His fifth birthday was on Saturday, and as he got older, he had begun to resemble his father even more.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Brie, what's wrong? You know you can tell me," Troy said frantically, trying to calm his crying girlfriend.  
"Troy…this is what's best for us, for you. I know it is," she sobbed._

_"What's best for me? You have to talk to me!" he said. She was scaring him. "You need to calm down. Come in and talk to me. Please, Brie, please."_

_His tone was pleading and scared. She looked up into those gorgeous blue eyes and swallowed hard. Just do it, Gabi, she told herself, but she couldn't remove her eyes from his. They stayed like that for a long time, before she finally was able to look away._

_"Troy, one day you will understand why I'm doing this," she told him._

_"Doing what? What, Brie!?" he cried, tears coming to his eyes._

_"I…have to go. I'm leaving tomorrow. This is what's best for us. Just…please don't forget about me. I'll be back one day. I'll explain it to you, I swear," she said, turning to walk back to her car. She couldn't stay much longer. He would get it out of her. She couldn't resist him and they both knew it._

_"Brie, don't do this! Tell me what's wrong!! We can get through it!!" he cried, tears now streaming down his face. "Gabriella, please."_

_His tone made her stop. She was crying again. His voice was quiet and full of emotion. She couldn't turn, because she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to leave. "Always remember that I love you, Troy." Shaking her head, she kept walking towards her car._

_"Brie! Come back! Please don't go!" Troy tried to go after her, but she was already in her car. She sped down his street, knowing that the next thing she had to do would be almost as hard._

_At the end of his street, she looked back. Troy was standing just as she had left him, tears streaming down his face. Sobbing she made her way to Sharpay's house._

_END FLASHBACK_

This memory only caused Gabriella to sob harder, and another flashed in her mind's eye.

_FLASHBACK_

_Gabriella knocked on Sharpay's door, waiting almost too calmly for her best friend to open it. When she finally did, Gabi collapsed sobbing into Sharpay's arms._

_"Oh, Gabi! What's wrong?" Sharpay led her into the house, kicking the door closed behind her, and pulled her best friend into her room. "Hun, tell me what's wrong. Please, you're never like this. It's scaring me."_

_"Call Tay, Kelsi, Zeke, and Ry. They need to be here for this," was all Gabi could say._

_Nodding, Sharpay quickly made the necessary calls, being sure to tell them that this was top secret (at Gabi's insistence), then went to her closet to get Gabi some more comfortable clothing._

_When their friends arrived, Sharpay wordlessly led them to her room, where they were greeting by a shocking sight. Gabriella was dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, wrapped in blankets, huddling on the floor, crying softly. Immediately, Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay cluster around her, crying themselves, and Zeke and Ryan follow to sit by their friends, wrapping protective arms around them._

_"Gabi, now will you please tell us what's wrong?" Sharpay insisted._

_"Ok, but please don't interrupt. I don't know if I could finish if you did," they all nodded. "Ok, well do you remember on graduation night, we all hung out at my house? And my mom wasn't home? Well, after you guys left, Troy and I…we, um…"_

_Sharpay was the first to understand, and she gasped before quickly nodding her head for Gabi to continue. Everyone else still looked puzzled, so when Gabriella was looking down, she mouthed it to everyone._

_"But anyways, I, um…well, you see…I'm pregnant," Gabriella said bluntly, looking down into her lap, not wanting to see the looks on her friends' faces._

_"OMYGOSH!! YOU'RE PREGNANT!?" that was Sharpay, and it was exactly what Gabriella had been expecting. Everyone else was silent. Suddenly, tears began streaming down her face again, and quickly, Taylor, Kelsi, and Ryan hugged her tightly. Sharpay was sitting there, gasping, and Zeke was already thinking. What was Troy going to do? This will destroy his plans for the future. He would want to be with Gabi and the baby, they all knew that._

_"Gabs, what're you going to do?" Taylor asked quietly. This was the question everyone wanted the answer to, but couldn't bring themselves to ask._

_Gabriella took a deep breath. "I was just at Troy's house. I told him that I'm leaving. I'm moving to Phoenix. It's close enough that you guys can visit. I'm going to have this baby, and one day, I'll come back and I'll explain everything. To him, and the others. You guys can't tell Chad or Jason or anyone else about this."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because, sometimes Jason lets things slip and Chad cannot keep a secret to save his life, and I will not have Troy coming to find me. He's going to go to college and play for the Lakers, like he always planned. I will not let this child get in the way of his dreams. I love him too much for that," Gabi whispered._

_"We'll do it," Sharpay exclaimed. "If you ever need anything, promise me that you will call, no hesitation. I will always be your friend, no matter what, and I will do all I can to help you. Right guys?"_

_They all scrambled to agree._

_"Now, let's get our minds off this. Sleepover!!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

Finally, Gabriella's sobs receded and she cuddled up into her covers, falling into a restless sleep.

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**What do you think?? If you like it, tell me. If you hate it, tell me. Please and thank you**


	2. Chapter 2 Part One

Troy Bolton sat on the couch in his hotel room, staring moodily at the picture on the table in front of him. It was a photo of him and Gabriella on graduation day. They were so happy then. What had changed? When she left, Brie had told him she loved him. Why would she leave him if she loved him? He was shaken from his thought by a knock at his door. Quickly, he shoved the picture into the drawer of the nightstand. The knock came again, and he rushed to let whoever was at the door in.

"Dude! What's up?" Chad, Zeke, and Jason were standing at his door. He smiled and let them in. It was over five years ago that Brie had left him, and he was still depressed. He had never really dated since that, and it was obvious to his friends that he still loved her, but he refused to admit it.

"What're you doing here?" Troy smiled, pretending he hadn't been thinking about her again.

"I say we go out tonight!" They all played for the L.A. Lakers, and had for three years. Troy had been drafted, but had insisted on completing his college degree in Education as well. Chad had also gotten his teaching license, and the two planned on returning to East High to teach P.E. and to coach basketball together. Zeke had used his fame and fortune to start a restaurant in Albuquerque, which was doing extremely well. Jason, who was more brilliant that any of them could've imagined, had also gotten his teaching degree, and was planning on returning to East High to teach Advanced Biology.

"Chad, you know I don't do that stuff," Chad sighed, and slumped on the couch.

"I have a plan," Zeke piped up. Inside, he smiled. He had concocted this plan with Tay, Shar, Kelsi, and Ryan. Five years was long enough. These two had to work out what had happened soon, or they never would. "I know this great restaurant in town, and a friend of mine works there. I called the owner, dropped some names, and we got a reservation for 7 tonight."

"That sounds good," Troy said happily. Chad would have dragged him out to the clubs if Zeke hadn't intervened and they all knew it. "What should we wear?"

"It's not a formal restaurant, but it ain't no McDonalds. Dress nice," Zeke advised, then left to go get ready himself. Jason followed him, and then Chad, who was mumbling something that sounded a lot like "That's no fun…but there's gonna be food."

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Gabriella was getting dressed for work. She glanced at the clock. 6 o'clock. Her shift started at 6:30, so she had just enough time to get there the required 10 minutes early. She worked at DelMona's Bistro. Grabbing her car keys and kissing Jackson goodbye, she rushed out the door.

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Troy, Chad, Jason, and Zeke walked in DelMona's Bistro at 7 sharp, as Zeke and Troy were always exactly on time, and they had dragged Chad and Jason out of the hotel to get there on time. They were in Phoenix for a game, but that was yesterday, and they had decided to stay in Phoenix for the next two days, as they had no games.

"Reservation for Baylor," Zeke asked the host. He nodded and grabbed four menus.

"Right this way, Mr. Baylor," he led them to a table in the back, tucked into a corner. They sat and thanked the man, and immediately opened their menus. After a few minutes, their waitress walked up. Zeke stood and hugged the girl, but none of the others paid her notice.

"Guys, this is my friend," Zeke said mysteriously.

"Hello." Wait. That voice was so familiar. It couldn't be, could it? Troy looked up and froze. He was looking into the chocolate brown eyes that had broken his heart, five years prior. Slowly he stood. Chad and Jason were in shock, not able to form words.

"Brie?" Troy whispered.

When she saw those baby blue eyes, she got dizzy. "It can't be you. No." And with that she collapsed to the floor. As she fell, Troy jumped forward and caught her, laying her gently on the floor. Chad and Jason jumped up to help, and Zeke yelled for the manager to come quick.

**Gabriella's POV**

What happened? Did I just faint? Why?

My eyes fluttered open, but it took a moment for everything to come into focus. There were two people crouched over me. One was Zeke, but I can't make out the other man yet. I blink a few times, and he finally comes into focus.

"Troy?" He can't be here. I spent five years trying to forget, knowing that he probably forgot me long ago. "This isn't happening to me. Not again." I knew tears were running down my face, and I didn't care. Zeke helped me sit up, and I got a better look at my surroundings. My manager was there, and so were Chad and Jason. They seem shocked, but who can blame them. Suddenly, something clicks.

"You!" I glare at Zeke, who is blushing and trying to avoid my eyes. "You did this! You are so dead when I get my hands on you, you hear me Zeke Baylor!? Shar will forgive me for what I do!"

"Easy, Gabs. Ma'am, can she go? I don't think she should work anymore tonight," Zeke was avoiding the question.

"Of course. Gabriella, I want you to take tonight, and tomorrow off. Go home and get better," Tina, the manager, said. I nod meekly and try to stand, but a rush of nausea washes over me. I stumble and Zeke quickly catches me.

"I already called some cabs. Let's go," he said, helping me walk out of the restaurant, Troy, Chad, and Jason following behind us. He helped me into one and climbed in after me. Troy, Chad, and Jason got into the other one. We made our way back to my apartment. I glanced at my watch. It was 7:45. Jackson would still be up. Oh dear.

**No one's POV**

Gabriella walks into her apartment slowly. She had told them to wait outside until she told them to come in. She wanted to talk to them before she introduced Jackson to his father.

"Jackson? Are you here?" she called. He walked into the living room where she stood, followed by Amelia, his babysitter.

"Mommy! Why are you home so early?" he cried, jumping into her arms.

"I got a bit sick. I've got a surprise for you, but I need you to wait in your room until I come get you. It may be awhile, but you can do whatever you want while you wait. Ok?" He thought about it, then nodded, turning and skipping into his room, closing the door behind him. Gabriella smiled, then turned to Amelia.

"You can go for tonight. I have a personal emergency and I need to take care of it. I'll pay you for the full night, if you like?"

"No! That's fine! You said it was an emergency. Is there anything I can do?" Amelia was so sweet.

"No, I'll need to take care of this myself. Oh! Actually, you can do one thing for me." Amelia nodded eagerly. "On your way out, in the lobby, you'll see four guys. One of them has a major afro. Tell them they can come up. One of them knows the way."

"Ok, Gabi," Amelia smiled and grabbed her bag and jacket before walking out the door.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Gabriella took a deep breath and let her old friends in. They were silent, taking seats in her living room. Gabi took the only seat left, thankfully a lone chair, and stared at her companions. Chad finally opened his mouth, but Gabriella held up her hand for silence.

"Before you talk, I have one rule: we will talk like civilized human beings or not at all. I will not have you scaring Jackson before you even meet him," Gabriella said. Ignoring the puzzled looks she got from three of her companions, she turned to Zeke. "I think we should call Shar, Tay, Kels, and Ry."

"Wait! They knew!?" Chad said incredulously. Jason was giving her the same look of shock.

"Yes. I'll tell you why when I get to the part of the story," Chad was about to protest this, but Jason stopped him.

"I think we should just let her explain," he said. He then turned to Gabriella and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Ok, well, first things first, I'm gonna quick text the girls nad Ryan," she said, pulling out her cell phone and sending a quick SOS text to all of them.

_Guys, I'm w/ Zeke, Troy, Chad & Jason_

_right now. I'm gonna tell them. Come_

_2 my apart. ASAP!_

_-Gabi_

Snapping her phone shut, she turned to her guests. Taking a deep breath, she began her story.

"Try not to interrupt. The day we graduated, do you remember we all celebrated at my house and my mom was on that business trip? Well, Troy, do you remember what happened after everyone left?" she paused there, staring att him, waiting for his reaction.

"Of course! At the time, I thought it was one of the best days of my life," he said quietly, staring at her, both ignoring Chad and Jason's questioning gestures.

"Well, I got pregnant," Gabriella said bluntly. She had gotten over her shyness about that night a long time ago.

"What!?" Chad, Jason, and Troy cried, jumping out of their seats.

"You mean I have a child?" Troy whispered, while Jason and Chad produced some interesting gurgling noises.

"I'll tell you if you let me finish," she glared sternly at them. They sat slowly. "Thank you. Back to the story. I got pregnant. The day I broke up with you was the day after I found out. I had to do it, you have to understand that. I wasn't going to let me and our childe stop you from reaching your dreams. I moved out here, had our child, then got my teaching license from the University of Phoenix. I was actually planning to come find you soon and explain everything. I missed you so much," she paused and looked around, then quickly finished. "All of you. Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi, Zeke and Ryan all knew where I was. They come to visit when they can. I made them swear not to tell anyone, though."

"Why didn't you tell me and Chad?" Jason asked, slightly hurt.

"Because, we all know Chad can't keep a secret to save his life, and Jason, you know I love you, but sometimes you let things slip, and I couldn't risk it," she explained. "I managed, thought. Besides, Sharpay made me swear to call her if I ever needed anything."

She was talking to all of them, but she kept her eyes on Troy. He was sitting on her couch, his beautiful blue eyes shut, mouth drawn, head in his hands. I was his thinking face. God, she loved that face of his. She rose and walked over to him, kneeling in front of him and placing a hand on his arm. "Do you want to meet your son?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

Gabriella rose and went to Jackson's door. She knocked once, then opened it. "Jackson? I want you to meet some special people."

He jumped up and followed her out into the living room. All four men rose from their seats. "Uncle Zeke!" Jackson ran to the one he knew and hugged him.

"Jackson, sweetie, this is Uncle Chad," she said, pointing to her afro-ed friend. Without any hesitation, he ran and gave Chad a huge hug.

"Hi Uncle Chad. I'm Jackson," he said, grinning up at Chad. "I like your hair!" Chad laughed and hugged the kid back.

"Chard is married to Auntie Taylor," Gabi explained. "This is Uncle Jason. He's married to Auntie Kelsi."

Jackson, who was currently playing with Chad's afro, detached himself and ran to Jason, who grabbed him a hugged him. Now was the hard part. Troy made his way over to stand between Zeke and Brie.

"Jackson? Come here," Gabi gestured to her son. "Jackson, this man is _very_ special. This is Troy. Troy is your daddy."

Jackson stared at Troy for a moment, then looked at his mother. She nodded once, and Jackson threw himself at Troy, who dropped to his knees and hugged his son back. They looked so much alike. Jackson had his father's eyes, and their hair was almost the same. Jackson's skin was darker than Troy's, but other than that, he was the image of his father.

Gabriella sighed and stood there, hugging herself. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and looked up into Zeke's face. She smile softly and turned back to the scene in front of her. Chad and Jason had joined Troy and were now playing with Jackson. This was what she had wanted to see since the day she moved to East High. She had known that she and Troy were meant for each other, meant to start a family, and she had wanted all of their friends to be there. This was like a dream come true.

"Troy," she said softly. He looked up at her. "You and I need to talk alone about this."

He nodded and stood. He stared into her eyes, searching for something that said what he hoped to hear again someday. He saw happiness, content, relief, but what shocked him love. She still loved him!

Gabriella was also searching his eyes, hoping to find a reflection of what she knew was in hers. She saw happiness, relief, joy, confusion, but the last thing she saw excited her the most. She saw love. After all these years, he hadn't forgotten her.

"I leave Wednesday morning. (A/N: It's Monday night for them right now.) We can talk alone tomorrow," he said, eyes never leaving her face. She nodded and smiled sadly.

"I hope you all can forgive me for everything," she said. This was mostly directed at Chad and Jason. They looked at each other, then went to hug Gabriella.

"We missed you so much, Ella. We're just glad you're back," Jason said softly. After a few moments of the love-fest, Zeke pulled Chad and Jason away and whispered something to them. They nodded quickly and turned to their friends.

"We're out. Troy, why don't you stay and catch a cab later? You and Ella have so much to catch up on. Great! See ya!" And with that, they bolted out the door. Troy and Gabriella just stared at the doorway.

"They really haven't changed, have they?" Gabriella asked.

"Not one bit," was the reply she got. They stood for a few for moments before Jackson tugged on Gabriella's sleeve.

"Mommy, I'm tired," he whined. She laughed and scooped him up.

"Well then, off to bed with you!" she said and carried him into his room. Troy followed her silently and stood in the doorway, watching them with a smile on his face. Gabriella tucked Jackson in, and stood to leave.

"Mommy? Will you sing for me? Please?" Jackson asked, staring up at him with those Bolton eyes that she had never been able to resist.

"Ok, baby," Gabriella sat down on his bed and began to sing.

**I always needed time on my own  
I never thought I'dneed you there when I cry  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side  
When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now  
**

**When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missin' you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missin' too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you**

I've never felt this way before  
Everything that I do reminds me of you  
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor  
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do

When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now

When you're gone

**The pieces of my hear are missin' you**

**When you're gone**

**The face I came to know is missin' too**

**When you're gonw**

**The words I need to hear ro always get me through the day and make it ok**

**I miss you**

We were made for each other  
Out here forever  
I know we were, yeah  
All I ever wanted was for you to know  
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul  
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah

When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missin' you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missin' too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear will always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you 

When she stopped singing, Jackson was already asleep. Smiling, she brushed a strand of hair out of his face and bent to kiss his forehead. "I love you, baby."

Troy stared as she sang. Her voice was even more beautiful than he remembered. So lost in this own thoughts, he didn't notice that she had stopped singing. It wasn't until she got up was he brought back to reality.

"Wow, Brie. That was beautiful," he whispered, following her out into her living room.

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**I know that was an abrupt ending, but this is a super long chapter. I'll have Part Two of this chapter up soon. I hope you don't mind. ******


	3. Chapter 2 Part Two

**OK, this is Chapter 2, Part 2. I thought that I should make it a separate piece since it was about 8 pages on Word. I want to put this one thing out there though: don't hesitate to review!! If you have any comments, questions, concerns, or compliments, you can review and tell me. I love to take the opinions and ideas if my readers into mind when I write. Thanks!**

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"You know that I've missed that voice so much these past few years," Troy said, dropping onto the couch.

"Do you want anything to drink? I have water, pop (or soda or cola or whatever you prefer), wine, beer?" she gazed at him from the kitchen.

"The last one please," he said a bit too enthusiastically. "I need one after this evening."

Gabriella gave him a look. She knew what he meant, but even after all these years, she loved to do this to him. "Thanks," she said dryly.

"Ah, that's not what I meant," he stammered, fidgeting uneasily in his spot. Gabriella laughed and shook her head. Troy felt his heart flutter at the tinkling sound, and he realized how much he had missed her. She was still giggling when she came back into the room, carrying a beer, which she handed to Troy, and a glass of wine, which she kept.

"I know. Now," Gabriella sat on the other side of the couch and tucked her legs under her, turning halfway to face Troy, taking a sip of her wine. "What have you been up to all these years?"

"Well, after you, um, left, I went to UCLA on a basketball scholarship. I was drafted to the Lakers after my sophomore year. I played for them, but I continued with my studies too. I got my teaching license, cuz me and Chad promised each other that we could go back to East High and teach gym and coach basketball with each other. Actually, we all went to UCLA and got drafted at the same time. Me, Chad, and Jason all got teaching licenses. Jason wants to teach Advanced Biology at East High. You obviously already know what Zeke's been up to," Troy said, taking a long drag out of his bottle. "What else have you been up to?"

"Well, I moved in with my aunt who lives down here until I had Jackson. Then I took a couple jobs, including that waitressing job, and enrolled at the University of Phoenix. I just got my degree this year, because I had to take a year off before staring, and then I bought this apartment. I managed well enough, but, um, I lost one of my jobs this week, and if something doesn't happen soon, I won't be able to support the two of us. I was going to have to sell the apartment and move in with Shar and Zeke in L.A. I've already talked to Shar about it. We were supposed to move next week, actually," Gabriella said 

quietly, ashamed at this. She hated that she couldn't do it on her own. She really didn't like relying on other people for things.

"Well, actually, I think that you should…that is, if you want to…" Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Spit it out, Troy," she giggled.

"You and Jackson can move into my flat in L.A. if you want. There's plenty of room for you there, and you won't have to worry about paying any bills or whatnot. You wouldn't even have to work, if you didn't want to," Troy said quickly, hoping that he wasn't pushing it.

"One question."

"Shoot."

"Do you have a, um, a," she paused, not knowing how to ask this. "Do you have a girlfriend or a wife or anything?" There, she said it. She stared down into her glass, swirling it around. It was his laugh that made her look up.

"I've barely even dated since you, Brie," he informed her. The sound of his nickname for her in his deep voice made her shiver. "What about you? Is there some boyfriend I should know about?" He laughed.

"No, I'm in the same boat as you on that front. When guys find out I have a kid, they usually run," she said sadly. "We're getting a bit off-topic. I would love to move in with you. It's just that…after all these years…" she trailed off, distress clear in her eyes.

"We can be just friends," Troy said softly, knowing it wasn't what either wanted, and probably wasn't what would happen, but if it got Brie back in his life, he would offer it.

"You and I both know that's not how it works. I hurt you so badly, Troy, I can see that. I always knew that, and not one day has gone by since then that I didn't think about what would've happened. We can never just pick up where we left off. It'll never be like it was then, Troy. We have a child now, another life that we have to think about. I will not go unless he agrees to it. But I should tell you now, Troy," she smiled softly. "I never forgot about his father. I raised him a Lakers fan when I found out about all of you being on the team."

"Really?" Troy laughed quietly. "Who's his favorite player?"

"Chad. Jackson always loved his hair. I wonder why he didn't recognize you all though. I mean, I thought for sure he would recognize Chad's afro, even if he puts it in a ponytail for games," Gabriella said softly. "I'll ask him in the morning."

"Does he go to school around here?"

"Troy, he only just turned five. He's supposed to start kindergarten this fall," she said. "Oh, I totally forgot. I texted everyone and told them to come as soon as possible." Gabriella grabbed her phone and flipped it open. She had four new messages. All of them were confirmations from her friends.

"Well? Am I going to see Ryan and the girls? I haven't seen any of them except Taylor in a month or so," Troy said, trying to read his ex-girlfriend's face.

"They're all coming. They should be here by morning. But if you want to go out to breakfast, we can. They all have keys," she said.

"We should just stay here. We can just stay here and talk tonight. Do you mind if I stay the night here?" Troy gazed at her, knowing it probably wasn't a great idea, but he didn't want to leave her. After all these years, he had finally found her, and he didn't want to let her go.

"I don't have a spare bedroom, but you're welcome to stay if you'll settle for the couch," she giggled.

"Well," he let out an exaggerated sigh. "I guess I'll deal with that. But you owe me, Montez."

"How about as payment, we play 20 Question? You can ask me any question and I'll answer it as best I can. But then I get to ask you some question. Do you want another beer, by the way?" she said, noting the empty bottle in his hand.

"You're on. And yes, please." He handed her the empty bottle and watched as she went to her kitchen to grab him another from the fridge and refill her own wine glass. Upon returning to the couch, she handed him the bottle, and he immediately drank from it, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That's good stuff," he said as she let out a laugh. "Now, my first question, and this may sound weird, but what's Jackson's full name?"

"Jackson Alexander Bolton," Gabriella said confidently, staring him straight in the eyes. "Jackson after his grandfather, Alexander Bolton for his father."

"You didn't have to do that, Brie," he said softly. He thought he knew how painful it would have been to name her baby after him and Jack.

"I wanted to. I knew that one day, he would meet his family, and I wanted him to have that name already, in case-" she stopped, realizing what she had almost said.

"In case what, Brie?" he pressed. "This is my second question. In case what?"

"In case we ever became a real family, ok? Happy?" she said hotly, tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. "Even though I left you, it was what I thought would be best for your future. At the time that I named him, I still had hope that maybe, when I returned and explained everything, you would forgive me and take me back, and everything would go back to the way it was. I know better know. It will never be like high school again. Too much has changed for that."

"Oh, Brie," Troy placed his beer on the table, and opened his arms to her. She set her wine glass down too and fell into them. She was still his friend, even after what had happened, and he would always be there for her, just like he'd promised so many years ago. He held her as she sobbed into her chest, and oddly, he felt at home like this. This was how they were meant to be. Slowly her sobs quieted, and her breathing evened out. "Brie?"

Looking down he saw that she had fallen asleep, curled up in his arms. He made a move to get up, but her hands clenched in his shirt.

"Stay with me please," she mumbled. He sighed and made himself more comfortable, adjusting his body and hers so that they were both at ease. She snuggled into his chest, tucking her head under his chin, and fell asleep.

What am I doing? Troy thought to himself. This isn't right. Think about what she did to you, after all you've been through. And then you're just going to forgive her like nothing happened?

He pondered this for a moment, and came up with an answer. I'm still in love with her, he thought. She's the only one that can ever make me feel this way. I've tried to find someone else, but all they see in fame and fortune. She loved me before all that, when I was a broke high school kid, hoping to make it. And she supported me. I suppose she's probably right. If she hadn't left, I probably wouldn't have pursued that dream. She almost did me a favor, as hard as it is to admit it.

Troy stifled a yawn, and decided that he could finish talking to himself and Gabriella in the morning. Hugging Gabriella tighter, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

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"OH MY GAWWWWWWWWWWD! Gabriella Marie Montez, what the hell are you doing!?"

Gabriella woke with a start, making a move to sit up, but found she couldn't. Looking down, she saw a tanned, muscled arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Twisting slightly, she saw it was Troy's. Warily pulling it off, she rose, careful not to wake him, in awe that Sharpay's shriek hadn't already done so.

"Shut up, Shar. Jackson is still sleeping and I won't have my five year old learning that language," she whisper-yelled at her best friend, who was standing in the doorway, frozen in shock. Sharpay had gotten the SOS text and had rushed to Phoenix to be there for her friend, only to find her snuggled up, asleep, with the man that she had left over five years ago. This was not at all how she had expected to find Gabriella.

"Sorry," Sharpay sounded only slightly apologetic. "Now answer the question. What are you _doing_?"

"What do you mean? I was sleeping and now I'm talking to you," Gabriella knew exactly what her friend meant, but she didn't really want to answer the question, so she stalled.

"You know exactly what the hell I mean!" Sharpay took a step into the apartment, closed the door, and dragged her into the master bedroom, closing the door carefully. Spinning around, she pointed accusingly at her friend. "I come here expecting a crying mess and I find you sleeping on your couch with TROY BOLTON! Explain yourself, woman!"

"Ok, ok. Just calm down, Shar," Gabriella sat down on her bed. "I was at work, and Zeke came in with three guys. All I saw was those blue eyes, and next thing I know, I'm laying on the floor with Zeke and Troy crouched over me. Apparently, Zeke thought it was about time I made amends with the people I left behind. You wouldn't happen to know about this, would you, Shar?" Gabriella glared at her friend.

"Not a clue," Sharpay said with her most innocent, sincere voice.

"I'm sure. Anyways, Tina said I should take the rest of the night and today off, so I came here with Zeke, Troy, Chad, and Jason. I explained everything and introduced them to Jackson. Then Chad, Jason, and Zeke left me and Troy here to 'catch up'. So we started talking and I broke down when he asked me why I gave Jackson his last name. He comforted me, and I guess we fell asleep in each other's arms. Then you came and started screaming. What time is it anyways?" Gabriella glanced at the clock. "6:30! You woke me up at 6:30!? What is wrong with you?"

"I thought you needed me. Just be glad it wasn't Taylor or Kelsi," her blond friend shrugged and continued to examine her manicure.

"Why? They wouldn't have screamed."

"But they may have hurt you when they found you like you were. I totally want you and Troy to get back together. I don't know how Tay and Kels would feel about that," Shar explained in a no-duh sort of way.

Gabriella rolled her eyes before a thought hit her. "Where's Ryan? Didn't he come with you?" She knew Ryan was staying at Zeke and Sharpay's house right now.

"I sent him to get me my Venti Fat Free Iced White Chocolate Mocha. I told him to get you Venti Iced Chai Tea Latte. I know it's your favorite and I thought you might need a pick-me-up. Apparently I was wrong though," Sharpay narrowed her eyes and Gabriella winced slightly. That look still scared her. Wrinkling her brows, Sharpay sat down on the bed next to her friend. "What's wrong, Boo?"

"I don't know. I guess that I thought that maybe we could just kind of pick up where we left off. Like, pretend nothing ever happened. Even though we have a kid now, I thought that maybe we could still go back to the old Troy and Gabriella," Gabi said sorrowfully. She felt tears forming in her eyes. Sharpay pulled her close. "Now that I saw him and explained everything to him, I realize how stupid and naïve I was. The old Troy and Gabi is dead. It's never coming back. We can never _be_ like that again, ever. I'm so happy to be blessed with Jackson, but I honestly wish that I had been smarter about this. Every 

day I ask myself a million what ifs. _What if_ we had never had sex that night? _What if_ I had gotten an abortion? _What if_ I had told Troy everything and stayed with him?"

"I can never have these past five-odd years back. I'll never get to know what Troy was like in college, or how he felt when he got drafted into the NBA, or anything. I'll never _know_. I've missed out on a major part of his life because of my decision." She was crying now, and Sharpay was holding her close, rocking her back and forth gently. "Sharpay, I love Troy and I'll never get to know what he was like in some of the most important years of his life. And it kills me, Shar. Every day, I think about that, and a small part of me dies. I know that me and him can try to start over again, but I will always wonder what we_ could've_ been like. Did you know that I secretly applied to UCLA, just so I could be with him? I was going to surprised him with it in the fall that year."

"Oh, Boo. I will never know how that feels, to go through what you went through, but you did what you had to do to protect him, and that's all anyone can ask for. You're right. You won't ever get that time back, but what you need to do is make a decision. You can push him away again, and never let anyone into your heart, and live like this your entire life, or you can do something about it. Only you can make that decision. You can what if until you die, but you and I both know that's not what you want," Sharpay said wisely. "Now, I can't tell you what to do, but I do know what I would do. And I think you know what you need to do."

"Now, I'll tell you this. Troy still loves you, just as much as you love him. He never once forgot about you. And I'll bet he's probably wondering the same things you are. You two need to talk it out and make a decision together. No one will ever force you to do anything other than what your heart tells you. If they try, I will hurt them," Gabriella giggled at this. "Ryan should be her soon. I will bring you your drink and I will keep him and lover boy away from you until you are ready. You need to decide now, will you live without love, or will you try to make up for lost time and seek out love. Only you can decide. Just remember that no matter what you decide, I will always love you and I know a lot of people who will too."

Sharpay rose and planted a kiss on Gabriella's cheek. Without another word, she walked out of them room, shutting the door quietly behind her, leaving Gabriella to think. Outside, Gabi heard a knock on her front door. Rising, she opened the door and accepted the chilled beverage before returning to her bed to think.

She pulled Troy's old basketball sweatshirt from the drawer in her nightstand. She couldn't believe she had kept it all these years. It still smelled like Troy, but maybe that was her imagination. Curling up with it in her arms, she settled down to attempt to make her decision.

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**What do you think? Read and review, if you please. I don't care if you flame or whatever. It's your opinion. Um, just a heads-up, I'm out of town from Wednesday until Sunday at a swim meet, so unless I write a LOT tomorrow, there will be no updates until next week. If I have enough free time though, I may have some stuff prewritten when I get back. Just wanted to let you know so you didn't get pissed. Thanks for reading!!**


	4. Chapter 3

I'm back

**I'm back! Unfortunately, I did not have any free time to write at my meet, which is why it's taken so long for this chapter to come up.**

**I want to correct a mistake in the last chapter. I said that Gabriella went to the University of Phoenix, which I just remembered is an online school. I'm changing that to Arizona State University in Phoenix. I know it's a minor fact, but I'm a very OCD person.**

**Disclaimer: You know how it is.**

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Troy squirmed a bit, waking up slowly. Something felt wrong. What is it? He opened his eyes and jumped. "Sharpay! Ryan! What are you doing here?" Looking around, he realized Gabriella was nowhere to be seen. Hadn't he fallen asleep with her in his arms? "Where's Brie?"

"What, no hello, it's great seeing you? How are you doing? Anything?" Sharpay said sarcastically, glaring at him. He shuddered, scared as to what he did wrong and how badly she was going to hurt him.

"Um, hi. How are you?" he said meekly.

"I'm fabulous, thanks for asking," Sharpay beamed at him, sipping happily at her coffee. Troy was lying across the couch where he had fallen asleep. Sharpay was sitting in the chair by his feet, and Ryan was sitting on the arm of her chair, sipping what looked like plain coffee out of a mug.

"Will you answer my question now? Where is Gabriella?" he was starting to get scared. Sharpay was hardly ever this calm, even after she had gotten those pills to help with her "issues".

"She's in her bedroom," Sharpay said simply. Troy was crushed. Had she not wanted to stay with him, so she had left once he was asleep? Noticing the hurt on his face, Sharpay sighed. "Relax, lover boy. I woke her when I arrived. Really, I'm surprised you stayed asleep. That was one of my better shrieks. We had a heart-to-heart and now she's in her bedroom making her decision."

"Decision? What decision?" Troy said suspiciously. "Are you putting ideas into my girl…" He trailed off, horrified at what he had almost said. He had almost said Brie was his girlfriend.

"Your _what_?! OHMYGOD, what the hell is wrong with you people!?" Sharpay stood up suddenly, thrusting her drink into Ryan's hand, towering over Troy. He shrunk into the couch and looked at Ryan, hoping for some help. Ryan shook his head, knowing that whatever Shar was about to do to Troy would not hurt anyone. At least, he hoped so.

"Why can you not see it!? God knows everyone else can! If this weren't Gabi's apartment, I would beat your ass to New York! Just admit that you-" Sharpay stopped at the sound of a door opening behind her. Turning, she saw Gabriella was staring at them, scared as to why her best friend was screaming at her ex-boyfriend.

"Sharpay, what did I tell you about yelling and swearing in my apartment when Jackson is here?" Gabriella scolded softly. "Now, explain to me why you are scaring the living daylights out of Troy?"

"He's just...and you…ugh!!" Sharpay fell back into her seat, huffing and taking a long sip of her drink.

"Um, thank you for shedding light on the current situation, Shar. That statement was extremely helpful," Gabriella said, smiling, not even flinching at the glare her friend sent her. "Ryan! Good to see you. How's the business going?"

"It's great, thanks. I think the real question is, how are you doing? Looks like you had quite the day yesterday," he said, rising to give the petite girl a hug.

"I must say, I've had better days. I officially need a spa day to relax and recover after the shocks I've had," she said, giggling slightly. "I actually need to talk privately to Shar."

"Have you made your decision?" Sharpay said excitedly.

"Privately, Shar," Gabriella gritted her teeth, wondering how her friend could be so brilliant sometimes and yet, so dense sometimes.

"Fine," the blonde sighed and followed her friend back into the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she went to sit next to Gabi on the bed. "What did you decide?"

"Well-" Gabriella started, but was stopped by Sharpay. Staring at her, puzzled, she watched her friend rise soundlessly and walk to the door. Swiftly, Sharpay yanked open the door, revealing Troy and Ryan with their ears pressed where the door had been. Sharpay smacked both of them and slammed the door shut. She waited a few minutes, making small talk with Gabriella, and opened the door again. The guys were still there. Sharpay grabbed them by the ear and pulled them back to the couch.

"You two will stay here like good little boys until we come out. If Tay or Kelsi knock, then send them into the bedroom. If any of the guys arrive, they will wait with you out here. If I catch either of you at the door again, I will make you wish you were dead. Same goes for Chad, Jason, and Zeke if they come over," Sharpay said, voice dangerously low. "Frankly, I expected more from you two, but apparently, I was wrong. If Jackson wakes up, then feed him breakfast and play with him. We shouldn't be too long. Now, I expect no more interruptions like this, got it?"

They both nodded, and Sharpay released their ears and returned to Gabriella's room. Gabriella was still staring at the door in shock. "How did you know they were there?"

"Please. Guys are worse at that than girls are. And I know guys," Sharpay said simply. "Now, please continue."

"Well, I decided you were right. I can't keep wondering how it could've been. If Jackson agrees, we're moving in with Troy. And I'm going to talk everything out with Troy and I hope that we can start a new relationship. It won't be like before, but I really want to be with him, and I think he feels the same. The only thing is, I just don't know how I'm going to handle this. I mean, I don't want to go jumping into this relationship. But I've missed Troy so much," Gabriella paused, knowing that if she continued, she would probably start crying. Sharpay was about to give her friend a hug when there was a knock on the door.

Before either girl could rise to answer, the door swung open and Taylor and Kelsi hurried into the room, swiftly closing the door behind them. Gabriella and Sharpay stood and the four girls exchanged hugs and quick greetings. Gabriella and Sharpay returned to their seats on the bed while Kelsi and Taylor grabbed pillows and laid on the floor.

"Ok, now tell us exactly what happened," Kelsi said, clearly tired from the drive. Gabriella took a deep breath and told them what had happened, from start to finish. They offered no interruptions, just nodded and comforted their friend as best they could. When Gabriella finished the part she had just told Sharpay, she stopped for a moment.

"Do you guys think I'm doing the right thing? I mean, I don't want to hurt him, and I don't want to get hurt. What if he doesn't feel the same?" she trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.

"Gabs, can I speak to you honestly?" Taylor asked. Gabriella nodded slowly. "Chad and Troy lived together up until about six months ago, and being married to Chad means that I saw Troy practically every day, and I can honestly tell you he still loves you, and if you just try, you two can get back together. Every week for the first year, then once a month for the two after that, Troy would lock himself in his room for hours on end. He wouldn't talk to anyone, and when he came out, his eyes were red, like he'd been crying. It only happens a few times a year now, like once every few months. He wouldn't talk to us about it, but he still has tons of pictures of you in his nightstand. He thinks he hid them well, but I cleaned our house most of the time, so I saw."

"You are the only one who can decide if this is 'right' or not, but just know that everyone is behind whatever you decide. I know what I would do in this situation, and you do too. But I don't want you to do what I would do, or what Kels would do, or what Shar would do. I want you to do what you're heart tells you to do. That's the only way you're going to be truly happy."

"Oh, you guys always say the most wise, most confusing things," Gabriella squealed, pulling her friends into a hug. "My only worry is Jackson. I haven't dated since I've had him, and he just found out about Troy. I don't want to do anything that will hurt Jackson, or give him reason to hate me or Troy or anyone."

"Gabi, Jackson loves you, and with time, he will love Troy. That boy will love you no matter what, and if you choose to love Troy, he will too," Kelsi said earnestly. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was 9:15. "Speaking of Jackson, shouldn't he be waking up soon?"

"Oh! I totally forgot to wake him! I better, before he wakes up himself and only finds Troy in the apartment," Gabriella rose to go wake her son.

"Actually, Troy's not the only one out there," Taylor said timidly. "Remember Ryan's out there, and um, Chad, Jason, and Zeke are out there too. We ran into them on our way in. They're probably grilling Troy about how much action he got or whatever it is guys talk about."

"Oh my god! That's what my baby boy is going to find when he wakes!? A bunch of his heroes talking about _that_!?" And with that, Gabriella flung open the door and ran into the room, only to stop dead in her tracks, shocked at the scene before her. Sharpay, Taylor, and Kelsi followed, curious as to why their friend was standing in the doorway. They too stopped, shocked beyond belief at what was going on in Gabi's living room.

Zeke was in the kitchen, attempting to cook a large brunch for all of them from the contents of the fridge, which Gabriella knew was a feat, since she hadn't done this week's grocery shopping yet. Ryan was attempting to help, but it looked like all he had accomplished was to cover himself in flour. Jason and Chad were sitting on the chairs in the living room, and Troy was curled up on the couch with Jackson on his lap. They were in a heated discussion, which the girls were sure was about basketball. Jackson must have figured out who they really were.

The girls stood there for a while, gradually getting over their shock. It was actually kind of cute. They were all like one big family. Even though no couple besides Troy and Gabriella had kids yet, it was apparent that when they did, all the husbands would make great dads.

Finally, they decided to make their presence known, as everyone was too caught up in whatever they were doing to notice. "Well, it looks like you all made yourselves at home in my apartment."

Everyone stopped and looked at Gabriella, who was still standing by her bedroom door, flanked by Sharpay, Taylor, and Kelsi. Jackson jumped off Troy's lap and ran to his mother to give her a good morning hug. She picked him up and kissed his nose, snuggling him close to her body. Sharpay went into the kitchen to attempt to help Ryan and Zeke, and Taylor and Kelso joined their husbands on the chairs, sinking into their laps. Gabriella was still cuddling her son, kissing his nose, tickling his sides, and rubbing their noses together. Troy was trying not to stare, but found he couldn't look away. This was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her.

She had changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, which he realized was his basketball sweatshirt. He had given it to her back in high school. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, strands of hair that were supposed to be held back by the black headband framing her bare face. Her cheeks had a natural rosiness to them, and to Troy, she was glowing. Apparently, motherhood would do that to a girl.

Gabriella was too busy with Jackson, and Troy was too busy watching her, that neither of them noticed that everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch them. Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay snuggled into their husband's chests, and the guys held them close. They could all see the love between Troy and Gabriella, even if they refused to admit it to each other just yet. All of them were determined to get their friends back together, by any means necessary.

After a few moments of cuddling and quiet "awwww"-ing from the people in the room, they resumed what they had been doing. Troy finally was able to rip his eyes away from Gabriella, and joined the conversation that Chad, Taylor, Jason, and Kelsi were having. Gabriella finished her and Jackson's good morning ritual and went to sit on the couch with Troy and Jackson, after being rejected from the kitchen.

They talked for a while, before Gabriella remembered what she had been meaning to ask Jackson. "Jackson, baby, can I ask you something?"

Everyone in the conversation stopped talking and turned to look at the brunette. Jackson nodded.

"How would you feel about moving to Los Angeles with your daddy?" Everyone looked at Troy, who was looking at Gabriella and Jackson. They had no idea that this was even a possibility. "Uncle Chad, Uncle Jason, Uncle Zeke, Aunt Shar, Aunt Taylor, and Aunt Kelsi will all be there, and so will Uncle Ryan sometimes. They'll live really close to us, and you'll get to go to a ton of Lakers games."

Jackson thought about it for a moment, chewing his lip a little, a habit Troy knew he got from his mother. Finally, he nodded. Everyone in the room let out the breaths they hadn't even realized they were holding, and Troy pulled is son into a hug. Gabriella looked at them, and her eyes misted over a bit. Quickly, she wiped the tears away. She had always wanted to see what that would look like, what they would look like as a real family, together with all of their friends.

"Dude, I didn't even know that you asked her that. Why didn't you tell us?" Chad said, never one for discretion. Everyone laughed as Troy rolled his eyes.

"Because I didn't know if they were going to say yes, and I didn't want to ruin my image if it didn't work out. Duh!" Troy said, saying the last part in his best valley-girl voice, which got everyone laughing. Just then, Sharpay walked into the room to announce that breakfast was ready.

"Are you guys making fun of me?" she said, which just made everyone burst out laughing again. She looked at them all like they were on crack, then shrugged. "Whatevs. Food's ready."

Chad jumped out of his seat, causing Taylor to almost fall, and ran into the kitchen. Everyone laughed as Taylor followed him into the kitchen, and they heard a smack and an "Owww! What was that for?" Troy picked Jackson up and threw him over his shoulder, and they all followed Taylor into the kitchen, happy and together for the first time in years.

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**There it is. I know that it takes me forever to update, but I'm short on time right now, and it's hard for me to come up with ideas that flow. Hope you enjoyed it, and please review. It'll make me happy, and I may even use reader-submitted ideas in the future.**


	5. Chapter 4

"Is that everything

"Is that everything?" Troy asked, setting the last box in the moving van. It had been a three weeks since Zeke had brought Troy back into Gabriella's life. Since then, Gabriella had quit her job and sold her apartment. Troy and the other guys had had to go back to L.A., but had come back on their next break to help her move. Today was the big day. She was moving in with Troy.

"I think so," Gabriella said, brushing some hair back out of her face. "Actually, Sharpay and Taylor are still upstairs with Jason packing up the rest of my kitchen. Let's go help them."

"Hey, Brie?" Troy made no move to follow her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," she said, coming back over to stand with him next to the truck.

"Why are you doing this? Moving to L.A. with me? Is it for Jackson, or what?" he asked quietly.

"Troy, if I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't have even asked Jackson, I would have said no straight away. I'm doing this because I want to. I want you, and everyone else, in Jackson's life. And I want you and everyone else in _my_ life. Especially you. I've missed you so much all these years. I've missed your voice, your gorgeous blue eyes, the way you used to say my name, everything. You were…no, you _are_ my everything. All these years that we've been apart, I always wanted to get back with you. I still love you, Troy," she said softly, barely thinking about what she was saying. "This was the thing I needed most in my life right now."

She stopped, looking up into his eyes, which were shining. He was so happy. She had just confirmed everything he had hoped in his heart was true. Seeing the look in his eyes, she snapped back to reality, and realized what she had said.

"Oh…my…god...," she covered her mouth with her hands. "Did I really just say all that?"

"Brie, you don't know how long I wondered how you felt, why you did what you did. Now I get it. And I forgive you, Brie. I honestly, truly do. If I was in your position, I would have done the same thing. Although that would be really weird if I _was_ in that position," he said, eliciting a laugh from a misty-eyed Gabriella. "You just said everything I've been thinking for years. Brie, remember what I told you the night of graduation, after we…you know."

Gabi cocked her head, thinking back to that night. _What did he say? Um…oh! He said that he would love me always, and that if I ever needed him, no matter where either of us was or what time it was, he would be there for me._

"I remember."

"Well, I meant everything that I said that night, and I still mean it. I always keep my promises, and this means more to me than anything I've ever promised. _You_ mean more to me than anyone I've ever known. Promise _me_ something. Promise me that whatever happens from now on, you will come to me. I will do everything in my power to help you," he said, staring her straight in the eyes. She saw nothing but raw passion and love in his eyes.

"I promise, Troy. I never want to go through that again, and I don't want to put you through anything like it either. Taylor said that when I left, you would lock yourself in your room and cry for hours. She said it still happens from time to time," she said, trying to mirror the passion and love she saw in his eyes in her own. Troy looked down in embarrassment. He was so going to kill Taylor next time he saw her. "Don't be embarrassed, Troy. I did the same thing. The night before you came, I had a break down. It was the first in a few months, but it happens on occasion. I actually cried myself to sleep that night. Right before I fell asleep that night, I wished that there was a way for you to come back into my life, an easier way than me tracking you down and trying to tell you. Although the passing out part wasn't so fun."

She laughed, and leaned into his chest. "I missed you so much Troy. I know I keep saying it, but you have no idea what it was like not seeing you for five years."

"On the contrary, Brie, I think I know exactly what it was like," he murmured, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, and he gently kissed the top of her head. It had been forever since he had been able to just hold her. He glanced up and saw that Sharpay, Taylor, and Jason were peering through the window. Sharpay and Taylor had tears streaming down their faces and they were both hugging Jason, who looked to be in distress.

Leaning down, Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear, "I think we're being watched." She lifted her head curiously and looked around. The peeping Toms scurried away from the window, but not in time to avoid being spotted by Gabi. Smirking, she turned back to Troy.

"Then let's give them something to see," she said shyly. He looked at her quizzically, and glanced back up at the window. Their friends had returned to the window. Looking back down at her, he saw the look in her eyes. She had that look in her eyes the last night they had spent together. It was love and passion, and it was all for him. He debated for a moment, then gave in to what his heart was telling him, ignoring the protests from his mind, which was saying that this was too fast.

He leaned down slowly, watching her face until her eyes closed, then closed his own just as he captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. He nipped slightly at her lower lip, careful not to hurt her. She opened her mouth a little, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss slightly, not wanting to take it to fast. She slid her hands up to wrap them around his neck, running her fingers through his hair softly. He brought his hands up to cup her face gently, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks.

When the need for air became pressing, the broke apart slowly, and tilted their faces so that their foreheads were together and they were looking each other in the eyes. "Oh, Brie. Every time I think that I couldn't have missed you anymore, you do something that makes me realize there's something else that I missed about you."

"Ditto. Now, what to you say we go shake down our friends? It'll be fun hearing them try to convince us they weren't actually watching us. But will you protect me when Sharpay and Taylor try to drag me off to either question or hurt me if they don't try to convince us they weren't watching?"

"Only if you protect me from the guys when they find out," Troy said. Gabriella laughed and they shook on it before turning, hand in hand, to walk up the stairs into Gabi's apartment.

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Troy had chosen to drive with Gabriella in her car behind the moving truck instead of flying with the rest of their friends, and Jackson had gone with them. He didn't really like long car rides. Since Troy and Gabriella wouldn't get to L.A. until about 7:30, since they had left at noon, while the flight had left at 12:30, it was only about an hour flight, the gang was going to hang out at Zeke and Sharpay's until Troy and Gabi called.

Troy and Gabriella had taken the opportunity to talk about their situation. After the thing that morning when they were packing, they knew that nothing was going to stop them from being together again. After several hours worth of intense conversation, four emergency cry-stops, and two chocolate breaks for Gabriella, they had reached an agreement.

They were going to resume dating. Both knew in their hearts that this was the way they belonged, together. And they would both do anything to keep themselves this way. Jackson had taken a few days to get used to having a father in his life, but he was so excited now. He loved Troy. And that was one of the most important things to Gabi.

A few more hours of driving, casual talking, and they had finally arrived in L.A. They made a quick stop to switch seats, since Gabriella had driven the whole way, but had no idea where Troy's place was. He quickly navigated the streets until they pulled up to a huge apartment building.

"I live in the penthouse on the top floor," Troy explained, pulling into the parking garage that was attached to the place. "We're probably not going to have room for a lot of your furniture, but anything sentimental, I'll make room for. I've called ahead, and had some people prepare rooms for you and Jackson."

"People?" Gabriella asked quizzically. "What people?"

"Well, I have a cook, Alfie, and the maids, Rayna and Savannah. Alfie's been working for me for year, and I've known Rayna and Savannah for a while. They just help out wherever they can. Oh, and there's also the doorman, Marshall, and one of the valets. They like me, and when I asked for a little help, they were more than happy to help. Like I have any idea how to prepare a woman's room."

"Good," Gabriella said, grabbing her over-sized silver bag in which she carried all of the travel essentials she needed on hand, and hopping out of the car. Troy exited as well, and they made their way into the apartment building and down the stairs to the lobby. They couldn't get an elevator from anywhere else. Troy greeted people as they went, neighbors and employees alike. He seemed to be well-liked by everyone. It was a quality he had possessed in high school, and Gabriella was glad he still had it despite his fame.

When they reached the elevators, Troy pulled out a keychain and flicked through them until he found the one he was looking for. He pushed it into the slot beside one door and twisted it. After a few moments, the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. The doors closed and the elevator started to rise. Gabriella watched the light behind the floor numbers move until it stopped, illuminating a circle stamped with not a number but a letter: P.

"This is it," Troy said, glancing nervously at Gabriella. Why was he so nervous? It seemed like all he could think about was had he cleaned this up? Had he done that? He had Rayna and Savannah for that.

The doors opened slowly to reveal a gorgeous pale gold room decorated beautifully. Beyond that, Gabriella could see an equally stunning living/dining room. She walked in, dropping her bag on a chair next to the elevator, and made her way through the apartment. In the living room, there was an open doorway that led to a kitchen equipped with all stainless steel appliances and white woodwork. It seemed so pristine and clean and not Troy. She backtracked to the living room and walked down a hallway, away from the kitchen. Opening the first door, she peered into a bedroom. It appeared to be a guestroom. Closing the door, she went to the next room, and the next. All were guestrooms, but none appeared to be the ones set aside by Troy for her and Jackson. Going back down the hallway, opening two more doors to a bathroom and a closet, she went through the kitchen and into a den that was completely decked out with a huge flat screen TV and a killer entertainment system. The look was completed by several couches and a dozen movie chairs. Beyond that was another, shorter hallway with a couple hall closets that led to a large circular room that had four doors along the walls.

Gabriella decided to start with the first door on her left. She opened it to reveal a deep blue bedroom. Stepping further in, she realized that it must be the room Troy had prepared for Jackson. It had a queen bed and was decorated to any young boy's fantasy. She smiled softly, making mental notes on places to put all of Jackson's favorite things, and returned to the circle room.

When she opened the next door, she gasped. This room had to be hers. It was decorated to match her wildest dreams. The bed was huge, with ebony stained wood and a deep purple comforter. The rest of the room was decorated to match, with silver accents and a giant ebony bookshelf that was nearly overflowing with books, including many of her favorites. She noticed that there were two other doors in her room. She opened the first to an enormous walk-in closet. It was currently empty, but Gabriella knew that Troy meant for her to go shopping. Going back to her room, she opened the other door. This one led to a massive master bathroom. She vowed to try out the Jacuzzi bath that night.

She stood there for a moment, running her fingers over the granite counters before she noticed there was another door on the other side of the bathroom. She knew it didn't lead back into the circular room because she had already found that door. Curious, she went to it and opened it slowly. It was another bedroom. It must be Troy's, she thought. Glancing around, she noted that Troy wasn't there.

"I shouldn't," she murmured to herself as she stepped forward. She walked slowly around the room, picking up pictures and memorabilia, taking in all the things that represented the things he had done that she had missed out on. Finally she reached his bed. She ran her hand over the quilted surface, hand lingering on his pillow, wishing absently that she could be able to share this space with him. Remembering Taylor's words, Gabriella leaned over and opened the top drawer of his nightstand. She saw nothing peculiar, so she moved on to the bottom drawer. She brushed past some random items until she got to the book that lay beneath it all.

Drawing it out, she opened it slowly. Flipping through the pages, she found herself becoming weak in the knees. It was a scrapbook, filled with pictures of her and Troy. The spring musical, prom, graduation, and so many others. She was so absorbed in the memories that she didn't notice the door open. It wasn't until she felt someone's arms around her waist that she realized she wasn't alone.

Lifting her head, she turned slightly to look into Troy's concerned face. Blinking, she realized that she was crying.

"Brie, what's wrong?" Troy reached up with one hand and brushed away a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in here," she stammered, closing the book quickly and shoving it back into the drawer. She turned to leave, but was stopped when Troy grabbed her hand.

"I don't mind Brie. Now will you answer my question? Why were you crying?" Troy tugged on her hand and sat her on his bed, dropping down next to her.

"That scrapbook. It just brought back so many memories, and…" She didn't even understand why she was crying, so how was she going to explain it to him. "I don't know why I was crying, but I think I was just so sad because we had the world back then and it reminded me that we can't have that again. But I'm also so happy to have you back."

"Brie, I'm happy to have you back too. Let's just forget about that. All that matters is that we have each other now and that will never go away. I promise," he whispered into her hair as he pulled her into a tight embrace. He traced invisible patterns on her back, attempting to calm her. At last, her breath evened out and she pulled away from his chest, wiping her eyes. "There. Now, did you see your's and Jackson's rooms?"

"Yes! Oh Troy, they're perfect. I love mine, and Jackson's is perfect for him. You really didn't have to do all of that though," she gushed.

"Of course I did. Only the best for my girl and my son," he said, pretending to be offended at her words.

"Hey now. Nobody ever said I was your girl, Wildcat," Gabi joked, poking playfully at his chest. He drew back in shock and she laughed.

"I haven't heard that nickname in ages," Troy said softly.

"Get used to it. I'm back, baby," she said, pulling him in for a light kiss. "Now, what do you say we call our friends and make them carry my stuff in?"

Troy laughed and nodded. "Sounds like fun!"

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**I hope you liked it!! I just wanted to describe Troy's house. Think NBA superstars penthouse, and there you go. And I only say NBA b/c I live in the USA. But remember he's humble, so he's not overdoing it.**


	6. Chapter 5

**I just want to take this opportunity to say thanks to everyone that reads my story and adds it to their alert/favorite pages or reviews. I love knowing that people enjoy reading what I put out there.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…but that would be awesome if I did. I wanna own Zac Efron. Heehee ******

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Gabriella fell backwards onto her bed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Finally. That's the last of it. I'm officially moved in!"

"Whatever, Gabi._ We_ had to move most of it," Sharpay said, sinking onto the window seat with a dramatic sigh, followed closely by Taylor and Kelsi. "So, Gabi. Are you going to tell Troy about _it_?"

"I don't know," Gabriella sighed, looking down at her hands. "I don't really like to talk about that, but I'll tell Troy when the time is right. I just don't want to think about that. Can we talk about something else?"

"Ok, well, are you and Troy going to get back together?" Taylor asked.

"Actually, yeah, we are. Why? Are you guys ok with that?" Gabriella asked worriedly, hoping that her friends didn't disapprove of the situation.

"Yes!" they cried in unison, throwing themselves at Gabriella, who yelped and covered her head with her hands.

"Oh Gabi, you don't know how happy we are that you're back," Kelsi said happily.

"Actually, I think I do. I can't breathe guys!" Gabi cried. They laughed and squeezed her tight for a second then released her. She fell dramatically backwards onto her bed, clutching her chest and she feigned gasping for air. Sharpay, Taylor, and Kelsi rolled their eyes and grabbed pillows, bringing them down over her head. Yelping, Gabriella grabbed a pillow of her own and jumped off the bed. Soon they were engaged in an all-out pillow war.

None of them even noticed Chad open the door, but they did notice when he came running back to the doorway with Jason, Zeke, and Troy. The girls stopped their war and turned to each other, sending silent messages through their eyes. (A/N: We all know that when girls do this, guys don't understand at all.) The guys looked at each other nervously. Only bad things came of silent messages between their girls.

"ATTACK!!" Gabriella cried, running at the group of guys clustered in her doorway. Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor followed, forcing out their best battle-cries. Each descended upon a guy, brutally attacking him with their pillow. Gabriella immediately went for Zeke, bent on revenge. Taylor attacked Chad, Sharpay went after Troy, who was trying to get into his own room, and Kelsi got Jason. Soon the guys were on the ground, Troy having failed in his attempt to acquire weapons for him and his friends. After a few more minutes of the attack, the girls collapsed to the ground next to their guys, laughter ripping through their bodies. It was but a moment before the guys joined them, though none were quite sure why they were laughing.

Finally they gained control of their bodies, and the guys quickly pinned the girls to the ground.

"What was that for?" Chad demanded, faking offense at the attack, but secretly, he was happy that they could all be together and act like little kids again.

"Ask Gabi," Kelsi said breathlessly, turning her head to look at the brunette, who was currently pinned under Troy. Fear was written across her face and her eyes were squeezed shut as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Brie? Brie, are you ok?" Troy said. He removed his hands from her arms and brought them slowly up to her face.

"No, Troy, don't!" Sharpay started, but it was too late.

"NO! Don't touch me! Stop!" Gabriella screamed, thrashing about under Troy. She was no longer thinking straight, her mind reverting back to that day, four years ago. She threw her arms up over her face, swinging wildly at Troy, who was in shock. "Why are you doing this!? Just leave me alone!"

"Troy, get off of her! MOVE!" Sharpay shrieked, shoving Troy off of Gabriella and bending over her friend, who was crying hysterically as she mumbled something over and over again under her breath. Leaning closer, Troy realized she was repeating "Please help me, Troy. Please." He stood and backed up to stand by Chad, Zeke and Jason, who were all watching with horror as the scene played out in front of them.

Taylor and Kelsi quickly wriggled out from under their capturers and hurried over to Sharpay and Gabriella. Taylor pulled Gabriella up into her lap and started stroking her back. Kelsi began massaging Gabi's hand, and Sharpay sat close next to Taylor and began singing a soft tune to Gabriella. The guys just sat back and watched in shock while their friends attempted to calm a hysterical Gabriella. Even Zeke was shocked. He had never seen her like this, nor had he known of something that would cause her to do this.

Finally, her cries and screams subsided, and she collapsed sobbing onto Sharpay. She held her friend for a while, murmuring things in her ear. After a moment, she turned to Troy and motioned for him to get her a glass of water and some Advil. He ran to get what she had requested, returning with it to find that Gabi had been moved to her bed. He wordlessly handed the items to Kelsi and went back into the den, where all the guys had retreated to. Troy immediately looked at Zeke for answers, but he just shrugged. He was just as baffled as Troy was.

At last, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor joined them. They collapsed onto the couches by their husbands, clearly disturbed at what had just happened.

"Guys, what the hell was that? What's wrong with her?" Troy demanded, rage shadowing his face.

"I thought she'd gotten over that. She hasn't had an attack in almost two years," Taylor said, staring straight ahead with a horrified expression on her face. Chad wrapped her in a hug as tears formed at her eyes.

"Someone needs to tell me what's going on!" Troy said loudly, using anger to disguise his distress.

" It was, what, four years ago?" Sharpay said tiredly. Taylor and Kelsi both nodded. "She had a job as a bartender on the weekends. One night, some guys started hitting on her, but she never dated, so she ignored them. They got really angry, and drunk, and when Gabi left work, they kidnapped her. They brought her to some warehouse or something, and tied her up. They were probably going to rape her, but our Gabi is a bright girl. She escaped without them knowing. They're in jail right now for kidnapping and attempted rape."

Everyone sat there, silent, the girls horrified, and the guys in shock. After a while, Troy rose and walked slowly to Gabriella's room.

"She's asleep," Kelsi called, but he waved her off. It didn't matter. He pushed open the door slowly. Gabriella was lying on her bed with blankets wrapped around her. She was pale and there were dried tears on her face. It killed Troy to even see her like this, and he could do nothing. He should have been there for her. If he hadn't let her go, none of it would have happened.

He sat carefully next to her on the bed, reaching for one of her hands. He held it softly, stroking the back of it with his thumb. He brushed the hair out of her face and caressed her cheek tenderly. He brought her hand up and touched it to his own cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Brie," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I should have been there. I could have saved you. I never should have left you. This is all my fault."

"No, Troy, it's not," she said softly, opening her eyes timidly. He looked down at her, startled.

"It is, Brie. If I had never let you leave, you wouldn't have had to have that job, and none of this would have happened. I wasn't there to protect you," he said, anger in his face though his touch was gentle.

"Troy, don't be silly," Gabriella said, anger flashing in her chocolate brown eyes. "I made the conscious decision, knowing that if I left, I would need to work for myself, and I knew that I would probably have to take jobs like that. I took that risk, Troy, and I almost paid the ultimate price."

"Brie…I was so scared. The fear in your eyes…did you even recognize me?" he held her gaze until she looked away, guilt in her eyes. "No one should ever have to go through that. Shar said that they never actually…you know. Is it true? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

She paused for a moment, pain playing across her features. "They came so close, Troy. If they weren't so drunk, I don't even want to know." Tears were streaming down her face. "They tried, but I resisted too much that they couldn't handle me in their state. They left, foolish men, and I was able to escape."

Troy stared down at the girl he now held in his arms. She didn't look like the Gabriella he knew. No, he held a frightened, young girl who had been through too much for her years. He pulled her closer, stroking her head slowly, murmuring soft nothings into her hair. "Baby, do you remember what you were whispering when you had that panic attack?"

She lifted her head reluctantly from his chest, staring into his deep blue eyes. She shook her head slowly, confusion edging her face.

"You were whispering 'Please help me, Troy.' You were wishing me to be there to help you, and I wasn't," he told her softly. She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss. "Brie, I couldn't be there then, but I swear to you on my life that I will always be there for you, from now on. No matter where I am, what I'm doing, when you need me, I will be there."

"And that's all I could ask for," she whispered up at him. She raised her head slightly and he bent his to meet her waiting mouth. He captured her lips in a gentle yet passionate kiss, pouring all of his emotions into this one kiss. Gabriella surrendered and fell into his embrace. They stayed like that for a while before they heard a noise.

"I can't see anything. Move your ass, Chad!" That sounded like Sharpay, but it was hard to hear. Troy and Gabriella broke apart and looked warily around the room. They heard some frantic whispers and several loud noises, and suddenly the door opened and all of their friends fell into the room.

"Um, hi guys," Jason said sheepishly. "Funny seeing you here."

Gabriella and Troy gave them a look and then started laughing. Soon everyone joined in. Before long, they were all rolling around laughing. Suddenly, Gabriella sat up, looking frantically around the room.

"Brie, what's wrong?" Troy said, sitting up with her.

"What time is it?" she muttered, wondering why on Earth there wasn't a clock visible.

"It's 5:15. Why?" Chad said, looking at the basketball watch he never took off. Taylor had tried to get him to throw it away, given that he had had it since the third grade, but he insisted it was his good luck charm.

"I need to pick Jackson up from daycare at 5:30, and it takes 20 minutes to get there," Gabriella sprung out of bed, running around the room, frantically grabbing various items that she would probably not need, but had convinced herself that she in fact would need.

"Brie…baby…Gabriella!" Troy cried, grabbing her arm as she went to run out the door. She whipped around and glared at him. He sighed and let go of her arm. "My driver is taking care of it. I figured you would be too busy unpacking to pick him up. Now will you relax, please?"

She nodded and sunk back onto the bed. He sighed and sat down next to her, intertwining their fingers together. She looked over at him, love and adoration in her eyes.

"Oh, you two are too cute!" Sharpay squealed. Troy and Gabriella looked up, startled. They had forgotten they weren't alone. "See? Adorable!"

They laughed again, and sat in Gabi's room for few more minutes, before the girls went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, since Troy's cook was on vacation. The guys retreated into the den to watch the game. They finally felt like a happy family, and that was all any of them had ever wanted.


	7. INFO

**This isn't actually a chapter, but I just wanted to clarify some things about the characters. Also, I will be extremely busy in the next couple weeks, as this weekend is State, next week I have Junior Nationals, and the following week is the first week of my high school practice. I won't have much free time, but I'll try to write when I can.**

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Troy: 24; NBA player for LA Lakers; wants to return to East High to teach PE and coach basketball when he retires; has one son, Jackson

Gabriella: 23; no current career; wants to return to East High to teach English; has one son, Jackson

Jackson: 5; son of Troy and Gabriella; loves basketball and his favorite team is the LA Lakers

Chad: 23; NBA player for LA Lakers; wants to return to East High and teach/coach with Troy; married to Taylor with no kids

Taylor: 24; doctor; married to Chad with no kids

Jason: 23; NBA player for LA Lakers; wants to return to East High to teach Advanced Biology; married to Kelsi with no kids

Kelsi: 23; piano teacher; also writes music part-time; married to Jason with no kids

Sharpay: 24; fashion editor; married to Zeke with no kids

Zeke: 24; NBA player for LA Lakers; also owns a restaurant in Albuquerque; married to Sharpay with no kids

Ryan: 24; owns a small business; single

Everyone decided not to have kids until their careers were steadier. This means that someone may get pregnant soon. Wink wink.


	8. Chapter 6

Sorry I haven't updated in a while

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy and I've got writer's block. So frustrating!! **

**Oh, I just remembered! In case anyone was wondering what happened to Gabi and Troy's parents, I've decided that Mr. Montez passed away when Gabi was little and Mrs. Montez still lives in Albuquerque, which is also where Mr. and Mrs. Bolton live. Jack still coaches at EH. Mrs. Montez knew where Gabi was and why. There. I think that's it. Idk, just review and ask if you have any questions, I guess.**

**Anyways, enjoy!!**

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As the weeks went by, Gabriella and Jackson became more accustomed to Troy's way of life, and neither was complaining. It was nice to know that money was no worry and they didn't have to worry about paying the bills and such.

Troy and Gabriella's relationship was moving slowly. Gabriella was still uncomfortable, and Troy would wait forever for her. As she grew more comfortable, she started to go out in public with Troy and the gang, which, for a time, earned her a spot on the cover of many tabloids. Gabriella's personal favorite was that she was Troy's long-lost daughter. Finally Troy put out a statement saying she was a childhood friend, which secretly saddened Gabi until Sharpay explained that she would be mobbed by paparazzi if it got out that Gabriella was really Troy's girlfriend and the mother of his illegitimate child.

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"Hey, Brie?" Troy said quietly. The whole gang was over and they were watching Step Up 2 on the big screen. Chad, who was really into the movie for some reason, turned to glare at Troy, who shot him a look. Sighing, Chad turned back to the screen.

"Yeah?" Gabriella whispered, turning her head slightly to look at her boyfriend. She shivered slightly. It was still weird to think of him like that. She had become accustomed to single life.

"Do you wanna come to the game tomorrow? Well, you and Jackson. You'll be courtside with Tay, Shar, and Kelsi," he said quietly. Mistaking her shocked look for disdain, he panicked. "I mean, only if you want to. That's totally cool if you don't want to."

Gabriella silenced him with a small kiss. "We'd love to. I always wanted to go to one of your games with Jackson, but we could never afford it before."

"Then I'm gonna get all the guys to sign stuff for him," Troy said, peering around Gabriella to look at Jackson, who was fast asleep. He smiled softly before turning back to the gorgeous girl next to him. "You guys can wait with the girls while Coach talks to us."

"Oh, Troy, you don't have to-" Gabriella started, but Troy silenced her with a quick kiss.

"Are you two…woah," Chad turned to once again attempt to quiet his friends, but was instead greeted with a mini make-out session. "Geez Troy, keep it in your pants."

Troy pulled away from Gabi, who was blushing furiously, and made an extremely rude gesture towards his best friend, but Chad didn't see it due to the fact that both Taylor and Sharpay, who was on the other side of him, were hitting him over the head with whatever they could find, which thankfully was just pillows.

All the commotion woke Jackson, who blinked sleepily and tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Mommy? What going on?"

"It's ok, baby. Auntie Taylor and Auntie Sharpay are just attacking Uncle Chad with pillows," Gabriella said calmly, pulling her son into her lap.

"Why?"

"Because Uncle Chad was being mean," Gabi smirked. Jackson yawned and nodded. "Baby, let's get you to bed. Say goodnight to everyone."

Jackson wished everyone a quiet goodnight. Gabriella picked him up and carried him out of the room. Troy rose and followed her, grinning at Chad, who was still being pelted with pillows.

Gabriella carried Jackson into his room, setting him down as she instructed him to change into his pajamas. Troy came up behind Gabriella and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tensed for a moment but relaxed into his chest, settling her head onto his shoulder.

"It's good to have you back," he whispered into her ear. She shivered as his hot breath tickled her ear and nodded slightly.

"It's good to be back," she responded, pulling out of his grasp. Jackson climbed into his bed and Gabriella walked over, Troy at her heals, to tuck him in.

"Goodnight Mommy. Goodnight Daddy," he murmured before closing his eyes. They stood there for a few more moments, wrapped in each others arms, digesting how it felt to hear that, to be together, as a couple.

Finally, Troy backed out of the room, still clinging to Gabriella. Shutting the door softly, he turned her in his arms, removing one arm from around her waist to cup her cheek gently. He drew her gently to him, pushing her chin up so she was looking at him. Lowering his head gently, he drew her in to a sweet yet passionate kiss. She tensed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and Troy almost thought she was going to have another flashback. But then she relaxed, and brought her hands up from her sides to wrap around his neck. He smiled softly into her mouth, knowing that he was the only one she had ever let touch her like this. Troy nipped softly at her bottom lip, pulling it gently into his mouth. She gasped slightly, surprised, before responding with enthusiasm.

Troy licked Gabriella's bottom lip, asking for permission, which she granted quickly. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, playing gently with it before drawing it into his own mouth.

"MY EYES!" They pulled apart slowly, both turning to look at Chad, who was standing in the doorway with a horrified look on his face.

"Chad, keep your voice down," Gabriella whisper-yelled. "Jackson is asleep and if you wake him, _you_ will get him to go back to sleep."

Chad shrugged, but Gabriella held up her hand, indicating she wasn't done yet. "When he wakes up in the middle of the night, the only thing that will get him back to sleep is…," she paused for dramatic effect. He stared at her, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with each passing moment. "A song from Tinsel Town!"

Troy busted out laughing, while Chad's face went from shock to disgust to horror, and he quickly exited the room. Gabriella doubled over laughing, unable to erase the look of absolute horror on Chad's face from her mind.

After several moments of uncontrollable laughter, Troy managed to ask: "Were you serious?"

Gabriella wiped tears out of her eyes before gasping with more laughter. "Not at all," she managed to say before succumbing once again to fits of laughter. Finally they regained control and walked into the den, where they were greeted by an interesting sight. The movie had ended, and the credits were rolling, but no one was paying attention. Zeke and Sharpay were making out, Jason, Kelsi and Taylor were talking quietly amongst themselves, and Chad was huddled in a corner with pillows bunched around him in what seemed to be an effort to make a fortress against Tinsel Town.

"Oh sure, you don't tell _them_ to keep it in _their_ pants," Troy drawled, startling Zeke and Sharpay enough to make them stop to glare at him. Jason, Kelsi and Taylor looked up at them and narrowed their eyes, noting Gabriella's flushed cheeks, red lips and unruly hair. Chad just continued to attempt safety in his pillow fort, mumbling softly to himself.

"What took you two so long?" Taylor asked slowly. "You were gone a while so we sent Chad to get you, and he came running back in here muttering about something that sounded a lot like Tinsel Town."

"That's…odd," Troy said, voice thick as he attempted to hold in laughter. Gabriella let out a giggle and buried her face in Troy's shoulder. Taylor glared at them. "Gabriella, explain it to them."

"What!? Why do I have to? You do it," she exclaimed. He just looked at her expectantly. "Fine. Me and Troy were…_talking_, and Chad interrupted us by yelling, so I told him that if he woke Jackson up, he had to get him to go back to sleep, and that the only way to get Jackson to fall back to sleep would be to sing a song from Tinsel Town."

Everyone in the room burst out laughing, except for Chad, who glared at everyone in the room, mumbling about a conspiracy.

"The funniest part," Gabi said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Is that that's not true at all. Jackson hasn't ever heard me sing anything from Tinsel Town. I never even told him about that."

Chad shot up from his spot in the corner, causing pillows to go flying in every direction. Stalking over to Gabriella, he pointed an accusing finger at her. 'You mean that I went through all that emotional trauma for nothing!?"

She nodded, putting her most innocent face on. Chad dropped his hand and stood there, uttering as many incoherent words and noises as he could.

"Oh, honey, don't feel bad. You're just easily fooled," Taylor said, patting her husband's arm sympathetically. "Now, why don't we tell our friends the news, so we can go? I'm getting tired."

"What news? Is something wrong? Are you dying?" Sharpay gasped, running over to hug Taylor, tears in her eyes.

"No, Shar. I'm fine. It's good news, I swear," Taylor said. Sharpay pulled away, and her mouth formed an 'o'. She nodded and went to sit.

"So what's up?" Kelsi asked. Taylor looked at Chad, who took her hand in his and nodded, love and support in his eyes.

"Well, I went to the doctor yesterday, and…" she paused, biting her lip with excitement. "We're having a baby!"

"Ohmygosh! That's so awesome!" Sharpay shrieked, jumping up again to hug Taylor. Kelsi and Gabriella quickly joined her, and soon they were gabbing about baby names, what gender it would be, etc. Troy went over and clapped Chad on the back, offering his congratulations.

"Dude, who thought you'd be the first?" Zeke said, shaking Chad's hand.

"I wasn't the first. Troy was," Chad protested, graciously accepting the offered congratulations. Everyone looked at him and he grinned, clearly please with himself for the comeback.

"I don't count, cuz I didn't know," Troy protested. "Besides, I wasn't there for it."

Chad shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You were a daddy first."

Troy opened his mouth to protest, but Jason cut him off. "It doesn't matter. Let it alone."

Troy and Chad sighed and nodded, accepting Jason's advice. They went to rejoin their girls, and they chatted about Chad and Taylor's baby for a few more minutes before their guests bowed out, heading back to their homes. Gabriella retreated into her room, very tired from that evening's events. She changed into her pajamas, consisting simply of a pair of shorts and a tank top, and went into the bathroom, forgetting that she shared it with Troy. Stopping suddenly, she looked up, surprised, at Troy, who was brushing his own teeth. He looked up at her, startled. Gabi blushed: Troy was clad only in his boxers.

Troy leaned over the sink and spit into it, wiping his mouth with a towel. "Hey. What's up?"

Gabriella just stared at him. His physique was even better than it had been back in high school. His six-pack had become more defined, and his pecs were definitely bigger. His biceps bulged slightly, and Gabriella found that her mouth was dry. She cleared her throat and licked her lips nervously.

"Oh, um, I didn't know you were in here. I'm sorry, I'll just go until you're, um, done," she said lamely, blush creeping farther up her cheeks. Troy looked at her in confusion, unsure of why she was acting this way. She, however, made no move to leave, and continued to stare. Troy looked down, then looked back up at her, a lopsided grin tugging at his features.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before, Brie," he said, laughter lacing his deep voice.

She sputtered and turned abruptly, but still made no move to leave the room. "It's just a little weird for me, considering everything that's happened. I can't do this right now."

Troy sighed and turned back to the mirror. "I know. I feel the same. I'm just messing with you. But you don't have to leave. You can be in the bathroom at the same time as me, you know."

She nodded, and grabbed her toothbrush. They remained silent while the prepared for bed. Gabriella was surprised to find that Troy shared much of her nighttime routine, including, much to her amusement, the fact that she used a lot of products to keep her face clear of acne. Noticing her amused stare, he smile his goofy smile.

"What? I need to look good for all the screaming girls," he said, face serious but tone mocking. Gabriella feigned shock.

"Well, if that's how you feel," Gabriella said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe I'll take Robert up on his offer."

And with that she turned and walked back into her room, shutting the door, turning the lock quickly. Then she ran to the other door and closed and locked it too. She wandered over to the bookshelf, browsing through her collection as Troy knocked on the door, demanding to know what she meant. Luckily, he was relatively quiet about it, or Gabriella would have killed him for waking Jackson.

Suddenly Gabi had an idea. Rushing to her closet, she found the large Victoria's Secret bag. In it were many items of clothing, if they could be called that, that Sharpay had insisted she needed. Sifting through the bag, Gabriella decided on a purple nightgown. It fell to mid-thigh, with a slit up to her hip. Thin black lace trimmed the bottom edge, while a thick strip of black lace adorned the bodice. She slipped it on quickly and shook out her long curly hair, letting it fall loosely down her back. Rushing back into her bedroom, she was relieved to find that Troy was still knocking on her door. It seemed he had moved to the door in the hall.

Gabriella checked herself quickly in the full length mirror, yanking off the tags, and opened the door just as Troy was raising his hand to knock again.

"Can I help you?" she said huskily, pulling her bottom lip slowly into her mouth, acting as sexily as she could. Troy had luckily put on a pair of sweatpants. He opened his mouth to say something, but noticed her appearance quickly, and whatever words he was about to say left his mind. He swallowed, hard, and fidgeted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Gabriella smiled inwardly, and gave Troy a flirty smile. "Well?"

"Uh, I was, um, wondering," he swallowed again. "What did you mean, uh, before?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled and touched his arm in the most flirtatious way she could. "I was just messing with you, Troy. Come in?"

Troy looked around, like there might be someone behind him that she was talking to. He looked back at her and nodded slowly.

"I was just grabbing a book to read," she said, leading him into her room, exaggerating the sway of her hips as she walked. "You had most of my favorites already here. That's so sweet of you."

She turned to him, about to say something else, but was cut off as his lips came crashing down on hers. She gasped, and Troy took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, joining hers in a battle for dominance. She moaned into his mouth, moving her hands to run them up and down his back, feeling the taut muscles ripple under her touch. She moved them around to caress his abs and chest, loving the way his skin felt under her fingers. He pulled her closer to his body, running his hands up her sides and finally letting them come to rest on her butt.

Troy couldn't resist her anymore. He needed her, just to feel her body pressed against his, to feel the heat from her body. He detached his mouth from hers, trailing soft kisses along her jaw, down her neck, trying to find that spot, the one he had discovered all those years ago. Gabriella clung to him, panting, running her hands desperately through his hair. She let out a soft moan, and he knew he'd found the spot. He sucked at it, desperate to leave a mark.

"Troy," Gabriella panted. She drew his face away from her neck and pulled it up so he was looking her in the eye. She held him there while she caught her breath, caressing his face gently. "I love you."

"I know you do, Brie. I love you too," he said softly, gazing at her with all the love he could muster.

"But I can't do this so soon. Please say you understand," she said, avoiding his eyes. Her deepest fear was that he would say he didn't, and kick her out, and she would lose him again. But he startled her by bringing his hands up over hers, pulling them off his face. He didn't say a word, but enveloped her in a hug. It was not only the hug of a friend, but of a boyfriend, a lover.

"Brie, I'd wait forever, just for you," he whispered in her hair, sending shivers down her spine. He kissed her right temple, then her left, her nose, and finally her lips. It was nothing more than a quick peck, but it held a thousand unspoken words, words of love. He pulled away and walked towards her door.

"Troy, wait," she called after him. He paused and turned towards her, puzzled. She smiled at him. "Thanks."

She didn't need to say any more than that. He smiled softly at her. She meant everything to him. He turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

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**Ok, so that chapter didn't have that much content, I know, but that's what came out, so deal with it. Sorry to anyone who thinks this deserves higher than the T rating I gave it. If it'll make you feel better, just tell me to change it. Anyways, sorry it takes me a while to update. I've been busy, and I usually spend my free time watching the Olympics, cuz um, hello? Michael Phelps is awesome, and Ryan Lochte? Yummm! (I'm a swimmer, so that's all I really watch.**

**Um, hope you liked it, and please review!!**

**xoTESSxo**


	9. Chapter 7 Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Oh, and I don't own any of these magazines. (You'll get it later.)**

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(Three Weeks Later)

Troy had woken up early today. Well, early for him. It was 9:30. He waked sleepily into the kitchen, knowing Gabriella had been up for hours, and most likely had breakfast ready.

He smiled upon entering the kitchen, not looking around but going straight to the full pot of coffee, eagerly grabbing an empty mug. "Morning Gabi," he said, turning around. He stopped suddenly. "Sharpay? What are you doing here?"

His brow furrowed. Why was she here? And what is in the paper bag? Both girls looked clearly distressed.

"Good morning to you too. Troy, come sit down," Sharpay said wryly. He looked at Gabriella and she nodded slightly. He sighed and went to sit next to her, across from Sharpay. So there would be no breakfast waiting for him today.

"So what's up? Normally, you wouldn't be up for another hour at least, Shar," he asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. He wanted breakfast.

Gabriella, however, noted the whine, and tossed an apple at him, which he bit into happily. She turned back to Sharpay, rolled her eyes, and nodded, indicating Sharpay should continue.

"Well, I had an early dentist's appointment today, and since the dentist is only two blocks down the street, I walked. I was walking by a newsstand on my way to Starbuck's afterwards when I saw these," she said, pulling five magazines out of the paper bag.

Troy grabbed one and read the headline out loud. "Troy Bolton's Illegitimate Child?"

Gabriella squeaked and grabbed two more, scanning the covers. Both said similar things. Troy grabbed the remaining two. They were the same. He flipped one open and scanned the story. "Well, according to this, Jackson is 8 and we had him at 15. Gabi's a hooker and I met her when I snuck into a strip club. Oh, and I paid you to keep quiet about it all."

Gabriella yelped and buried her head in her hands. Troy picked up another and scanned that article. "And according to this one, I raped you. Now that's just stupid," he picked up another and read that one. "Well, this one is actually almost accurate. It says we knew each other in high school and dated. But it says I ran out when I found out you were pregnant. But you tracked me down."

He looked up. Sharpay was clearly holding back laughter and Gabriella was glaring across the table at her best friend. "Brie, what are we gonna do? They all have pictures of us kissing. Where did they even get those?"

"I'll tell you what you're gonna do," Sharpay cut in. "Call one of these magazines and have an exclusive tell-all interview."

"Will that work?" Gabriella said carefully. "Will they leave me alone then?"

"Gabi, you are dating the most eligible bachelor in America, and you had his child. They will never leave you alone. But they will stop writing this shit and they'll stop calling you a…" she picked up a magazine and pointed to the cover. "Slut, whore, stripper, hooker, need I continue?"

Gabriella shook her head no and turned to Troy. "What about Jackson? He can't be here. I won't have it."

"Well, let's do it while he's at daycare then," he said carefully. "It'll be ok, Gabi. I'll handle it. I'm used to this shit."

"Can we do the interview tomorrow? I want it to get taken care of immediately." Troy looked carefully at her before nodding slowly.

"I'll see what I can do. Now, all you have to do is pick which magazine you want to do the interview with," Troy said, handing her the stack of magazines. She immediately threw away the one that said Troy raped her and the one that said she was a hooker and had had Jackson at 15. She stared at the remaining three, scanning the articles, for a moment before discarding two more. She held up People magazine. "That's the one?"

"Yep. It's the one with the most accurate story, and I'm pretty sure they did their research to figure out some of the stuff in the article. That makes it easier to convince them it's the real story, plus they probably won't twist my words so much," Gabriella explained. Troy nodded and picked up the magazine. Walking over to the phone, he picked it up and dialed the number for the editor.

"Hello, People magazine? Yes, this is Troy Bolton…I'm calling about your cover story today…Yes, me and Gabriella…yes, Gabriella Montez…we would like to do an exclusive interview with you…yes, the whole story…could we have the interview tomorrow? I know, but Gabriella and I would like to clear this up soon…Perfect! Thank you. You too. Bye."

He turned to Gabi and waved the phone in the air. "All set! Tomorrow at noon, they will send someone over to conduct the interview and it will be a cover story on Thursday." (**A/N: it's Tuesday right now.) **

Gabriella nodded, clearly relieved that the situation was being taken care of. "Thanks for letting us know about this, Shar. You're awesome," she smiled brightly at her friend. Sharpay nodded and looked at her friend with an excited look. Gabi frowned. That look could only mean one thing. "Oh, no. Sharpay, no."

"But Gabs, you have to! I've seen your wardrobe! We must go shopping!" Sharpay insisted, and Troy quickly left the room, knowing that if he stayed, he would be roped into carrying all their bags.

"No. I can find something. Besides, I can't afford it," Gabriella stammered. Sharpay looked at her, shocked.

"Troy! Get your ass in here right now," Sharpay screeched, and moments later, Troy's head appeared around the corner. "Tell her that if we go shopping, she can buy her stuff with your credit card. Last time, I payed and she refused to buy anything nice or expensive."

"Brie, I keep telling you to go shopping and buy new stuff. That's why I left your closet empty. Otherwise, I would've hired someone to buy a bunch of stuff," he said sternly. Grabbing his wallet off the kitchen counter, he opened it and pulled out a credit card. "I got you this. It's in your name but it's hooked up to my account. Take it and go with Sharpay."

He held it out to her, but she refused to take it, so he handed it instead to Sharpay. She grabbed it eagerly and turned it over in her hands.

"Shar," he said, his tone making her look up at him. "For Brie only."

And with that, he left the room, leaving a pouting Sharpay and a laughing Gabriella. Sharpay glared at Gabriella and abruptly stood, following Troy out of the room. Gabriella jumped up and ran after her. Sharpay flung open the door and stalked to Gabriella's closet, Gabriella at her heels.

"I am going through your wardrobe. If I find anything not appropriate for Troy Bolton's girlfriend, I am throwing it out. Sit down, you have no say in this." And with that, Sharpay started ripping through Gabi's wardrobe. She quickly established two piles: Keep and Throw/Give Away. She started tossing things in the piles, leaving the items that Gabriella had recently purchased in the closet.

"Gabi, did you wear this already? The tags are gone," Sharpay emerged from the large closet holding up the purple nightgown. Gabi blushed and nodded. Sharpay stared at her, eyes searching for an answer, but she found none. "You'll explain that to me later. Be glad I'm already on a mission."

She continued throwing stuff onto the floor, and Gabriella picked up a book. Finally Sharpay finished, and she pulled Gabriella off the bed and instructed her to help put the keep stuff away. When it was all said and done, Gabriella had a fraction of what she had started with, only enough to last a week or two. Gabriella groaned in frustration.

"Why are you throwing all that out? It's perfectly good," she said, clearly frustrated.

"Gabs, you wore a lot of that in high school. It's great that you can still wear those after having a baby, but you need grown up clothes. And that's what I'm here for. Now, get dressed. We need to get started if we're going to be ready," Sharpay said before leaving the room, grabbing as much of the throw away pile as she could. Gabriella shook her head and went to pick an outfit from what Sharpay had left her.

She contemplated for a while before choosing jeans and a white v-neck tee. Gabriella then went into the bathroom, pulling her soft curls up into a ponytail. Since she had been on the cover of every tabloid out there this morning, she definitely wanted to remain in cognito. Giving herself a once-over, she headed into the kitchen.

"Is this suitable?" she asked sarcastically, flinging her arms out to the sides. Sharpay looked up from the magazine she was reading and looked her friend over.

"It'll do. Come one, let's go. I called the front desk. We're gonna sneak out the back. The valets brought one of Troy's cars around back for us," Sharpay said, rising from the kitchen table. Right before they left the apartment, Sharpay abruptly stopped and turned to Gabriella. "Do you have a pair of sunglasses?"

Gabriella shook her head no, confusion hinted in her frown. Sharpay frowned and dug through her giant pink purse, finally pulling a pair of white framed sunglasses out. She wordlessly handed them to Gabriella, who took them hesitantly and tucked them into her own purse and followed her friend out of the apartment.

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They managed to make it out of the building and to the car without a problem. Sharpay drove because Gabriella had no idea where they were going. They drove to a giant mall. Sharpay pulled into the parking ramp, knowing they would be safer there than in the parking lot. They strode into the mall and Gabi simply followed Sharpay's lead.

They walked around, entering all the department and designer stores, leaving with several bags nearly every time. After four hours, Gabriella finally called for a food break, dragging her friend to the food court. Sharpay stared in disgust as Gabi ordered a burger, fries, and a milkshake.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" she asked, her repulsion clear in her voice. Gabriella nodded slowly, brow wrinkling.

"Is that a problem?" she asked, taking a large bite out of her burger and sighing with happiness.

Sharpay just stared at her for a moment longer and shook her head. "Whatever. Aren't you scared you'll gain weight?"

"Genes, Shar. I am gifted," Gabriella retorted, grabbing a fry and stuffing it in her mouth. "Anyways, where all do we need to go?"

"Gabi, you need way more clothing than that. Plus, there are some stores that aren't in this mall that we need to go to. Some of the more prominent designers. But don't worry. I have connections. Actually, now you do too," Sharpay said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Speaking of Troy, our next mission is to find you the perfect outfit for this interview. It has to be fashionable but not to dressy. Comfy, but not homely. Cute but not juvenile. Now, if you're done with your fat-fest?"

Gabriella shoved her last three fries in her mouth and sucked down the last of her milkshake, slurping obnoxiously. She dumped her trash in a garbage can and grabbed her shopping bags. "Then by all means, let's go."

Sharpay rolled her eyes at her friend's childish behavior and gracefully gathered her own shopping bags, leading Gabi out of the food court and back into the masses trudging through the mall.

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It was 8:30 when Gabriella finally got home. Not only had Sharpay made her wander the mall until 4:45, but then she had insisted they go to a number of boutiques throughout L.A. She had so many bags that she actually had to go to the front desk and ask if they could spare a bell boy or two to help get everything up to the penthouse.

Troy was in the den watching TV when he heard the familiar 'ding' of his elevator door opening. He went into the living room to investigate and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw Gabriella and not one but two bell boys laden with packages. He rushed forward to take some bags from them, instructing the bell boys to just leave them on the floor. He sent them away with a hearty tip. Appraising the scene before him, he could only guess at the damage to his bank account.

"So," he said curiously. "How far back did this shopping excursion set me?"

"Don't blame me. You insisted, and so did Sharpay. Frankly, I don't know how she has any money. That woman doesn't know when to stop," Gabriella said, clearly tired from the trip. She collapsed into a chair and Troy moved behind her to rub her shoulders. She leaned into his touch. "I forgot how good you are at massages."

He chuckled softly, fingers kneading gently into the sore muscles at the base of her neck. She moaned softly and tilted her head to the side, urging him to continue. He groaned inwardly. She had no idea what she did to him. Fingers never leaving her neck, he leaned down to nuzzle into the junction between her neck and shoulder, nipping softly at her smooth skin. He placed small, loving kisses up her neck and bit her earlobe softly. She moaned again, but for a different reason.

"Troy," she sighed softly, lovingly. Rising from her chair, she turned and, instead of kissing him, like he expected, she enveloped him in a hug. He paused, uncertain, before wrapping his arms around her. They stayed like that for a while before Troy realized that she was crying softly into his shirt. He picked her up bridal style and carried her effortlessly into her bedroom.

Laying her softly on her bed, he sat down next to her. "Brie, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and clung tighter to him. "I don't know. I'm just so…happy, but at the same time…God! I just don't know."

He suppressed a laugh and pulled her close to him, stroking her soft black hair softly, murmuring sweet words into her ear. When the tears stopped, he handed her a tissue, which she accepted gratefully. "Troy? Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, anything," he responded with enthusiasm. He would do anything for her.

"Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone," she asked quietly, biting her lip in anticipation. He blinked once. This was not exactly what he had expected. He knew what she meant when she said that. She was still not ready to take their relationship to _that_ level, but that didn't mean they weren't close.

"Of course I will. Why don't you go get ready and I'll grab you a glass of water and an aspirin. Don't give me that look, I can see you have a headache," he said softly, rising from her bed. "Oh, and we need to put everything away in the morning, before the reporter gets here. I already called Rayna and Savannah and asked them to come in early tomorrow to help us get everything set."

She nodded and went into her closet, digging through various drawers until she found what she wanted. She put on a pair of shorts, a tank top, and then over the top, she put on Troy's old jersey. He had given it to her at the end of junior year, after they had won the championship game. She went to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, examining it for any possible breakouts. Satisfied that she would not wake up with a giant zit, she went back to her bedroom, grabbing the book that she had started off her nightstand.

Moments later, there was a soft knock on her door. She opened it to a smiling Troy. He was holding a large glass of water and a bottle of aspirin, which he set on her nightstand. He had changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. Turning to face her, he blinked in shock.

"Is that mine?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah. I kept all the things you gave me. The clothes, the little trinkets. I even kept your class ring. I wear it all the time," she said shyly, embarrassed. "Is that bad? You can have it all back if you want."

"No! I mean, it's fine. I'm just a little surprised, that's all," he replied softly. She nodded and went to lay on her bed, snuggling under the covers before grabbing her book. He watched her for a moment before joining her. He wriggled under the covers and snuggled up to her side, nuzzling into her neck. "Whatcha readin'?"

Gabriella giggled and patted his head lightly. "A book. Something I'm sure your eyes hardly touch."

He drew back, pretending to be offended. She immediately missed the warmth at her side. "Well, if that's how it is." He turned so his back was facing her and pouted.

"Awww. Did I hurt Troysie's feelings?" she said in a baby voice. She set her book back on her nightstand and rolled to face him. "Do I need to kiss it better?"

He turned to face her and nodded. She laughed and leaned forward to place a peck on his lips. As he leaned forward to kiss back, she pulled away. "Troy I'm tired. We can't start this."

He nodded and reached over her to click off the lamp. Troy then twisted to do the same to the lamp behind him. Troy pulled Gabriella into his side, wrapping a protective arm around her. They quickly drifted off to sleep, comforted with their sheer closeness.

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"Is that all of them?" Troy asked her, placing the last of her bags in her closet. Good thing her room had a giant closet. (**Think Princess Diaries 2)** She nodded, following him with two more bags. They had woken up at 9 o'clock, giving them a short three hours to get ready. Rayna and Savannah had arrived 15 minutes later, and had immediately gotten to cleaning the living room.

Troy and Gabriella had immediately moved all of Gabi's purchases from the previous day into her room.

"Ok. Troy, you shower first. You'll take less time. I'm going to put my stuff away quickly," Gabriella said.

"Or we could shower together," he said coyly. She whipped around to stare at him. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know you want to."

She rolled her eyes at him. "As enticing as that offer is, I must decline." She smiled slightly and waved her hands at him. "Now go, Wildcat. I have things to do."

He laughed and left the room, shutting the bathroom door behind him. Gabriella laughed softly, shaking her head. No wonder Jackson loves him, she thought. He's five at heart.

She started unpacking bags, folding and hanging whatever she found. Had she remembered what bag her interview outfit was in, she wouldn't have unpacked everything. She faintly heard Troy turn the shower on and five minutes later, she heard him turn it off. She continued unpacking until he came to her closet door.

"I'm done in the bathroom, Brie. You can use it now," he told her, taking in the mess of bags and tissue paper in front of him. She had made a lot of progress. Only about three bags hadn't been unpacked.

"Ok. I'll be out in a minute," she said, not looking up at him, but grabbing one of the remaining bags. She still hadn't located her outfit, but there were only a few bags left. She looked inside the bag and clapped. She had found her outfit. Lifting the shirt out of the bag, she shook it out, checking it carefully for any wrinkles or other imperfections. It was a white off-the-shoulder sweater, with loose sleeves to her elbow. It fell to mid-thigh. Shoving her hand back into the bag, she drew out the dark-wash, skinny jeans that completed the look. She shook those out to, making sure there were no creases on them either. She laid them carefully on the floor and quickly unpacked the other two bags.

She stood and turned to leave the closet, but was stopped by Troy, who was still in the doorway. "Troy?"

"Yeah?" he said, still watching her. She was practically glowing. He couldn't help but think it was happiness from their new life together that made her like this.

"Why are you standing in my closet wearing nothing but a towel?" she asked, causing him to blush. He had forgotten he had yet to get dressed. He just shook his head and turned to leave, causing Gabi to giggle slightly. She knew him well enough to know that he had forgotten he wasn't wearing clothes. "That's what I thought."

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**Ok, so that got a bit long, so part 2 of this chapter will be coming soon. Hope you liked it, and please review. Feel free to offer suggestions. I'm open to any fresh ideas, and you will be credited.**

**With love,**

**xoTESSxo**


	10. Chapter 7 Part 2

**Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I have an extremely busy with swimming, then school, and then I started reading the Twilight series, and well, I'm sure if you've read them, you can understand. But anyways, here goes.**

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"Hi. I'm Melody," a petite brunette said, reaching out to shake Troy then Gabi's hands. She flashed them a huge smile, instantly making Gabriella happy for her decision. "I'll be conducting the interview."

"Thank you for doing this. It means the world to us," Gabi said, returning the dazzling smile. Troy squeezed her hand gently, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. She smiled lovingly up at him, an exchange that did not go unnoticed by Melody. "Please, have a seat."

They strolled into the living room. Troy sat in a loveseat, and Gabi immediately sank down next to him, curling her legs under her and snuggling into his chest. Melody gazed curiously at them before sitting in a chair opposite them. She pulled a tape recorder, a notepad, and a camera from her bag.

"Do you mind?" she asked tentatively, holding up the camera. They both shook their heads no. "Ok, just look natural, like you're just sitting here talking. I'm not even here." They gazed at each other, and smiled slightly, as if they were sharing a joke between them. She snapped several pictures, from several different angles, as Troy and Gabi gazed adoringly at each other, adjusting to several different poses, all natural, of course.

"Ok, that should be good for now," Melody said, setting the camera down on the table. Quickly, she set up the tape recorder on the coffee table and grabbed her notepad, perching it carefully on her lap. "So, if you ever feel uncomfortable, just let me know. You don't have to answer anything unless you want to."

"Ok. Ask away," Gabi said, shooting the reporter another smile.

**(Bold will be Melody and **_Italicized will be Gabriella and _Underlined is Troy. Oh, and regular is non-dialect.)

**"Ok, I'm going to start with some basic questions and see where that takes us. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, please tell me," she smiled at them, and they couldn't help but smile back at her. "So, when did you two first meet?"**

_"We met over winter break during our junior year of high school," Gabriella answered. "We were at a ski resort over New Years and there was this teen party. We got roped into singing karaoke together, and then I transferred schools to end up at his high school. And we've been friends ever since."_

**"I see. So, at what point did you start dating?"**

_"We became best friends from almost the moment we met, and then it just sort of happened. I'd say it was the end of junior year."_

**"So, Gabriella, why have we not seen you around with Troy all these years?"**

_"I had to, um…leave for a while. We kind of broke up and lost contact."_

It was very clear to everyone, even Gabriella, that she was uncomfortable. Troy leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Babe, you can tell them the full story. We did promise an exclusive, all-inclusive interview. Go ahead, I'm here for you."

"_Actually, what happened is, after graduation senior year, there was an issue. I…we got pregnant, and Troy had such a promising future, I didn't want anything to stop that. So I broke up with him, without telling him about the baby, and moved to Phoenix, to live with my aunt."_

**"Really? So all the rumors of an illegitimate child are true?"**

_"Well, I wouldn't call Jackson illegitimate, but yes. I did what I had to do to protect Troy's future. My mother knew, and so did some of our friends. They were really supportive, and they helped me in any way they could. I made them swear not to tell Troy until I was ready for it. I had our baby and then put myself through college, with help from family and friends."_

_"_**So at what point did you tell Troy about all of this?"**

_"About three months ago, our friends decided that enough was enough, and they kind of took matters into their hands. You obviously know Zeke Baylor. He brought Troy, along with Chad Danforth and Jason Cross, who also didn't know what had happened to me, to the restaurant where I worked, during my shift. Zeke requested me as their waitress, and let's just say I had the shock of my life. I actually fainted. We all went back to my apartment, and I explained what had happened."_

**"So where is this child of yours? How old is he?"**

_"Jackson is at daycare right now. He's 5 years old."_

**"What's his full name?"**

_"Jackson Troy Bolton."_

**"Why did you give him Troy's name? Surely, as a single mother, you would want your child to have your name?"**

_"I never really thought of myself as a single mother. It takes two to make a child, and I wanted Jackson to have Troy's name because I knew that I wasn't going to avoid Troy forever. Besides, just because I left Troy doesn't mean I don't still love him. I never stopped loving him, and this was just the way I thought it was supposed to be."_

**"You mean you love Troy? As in, like, in love? Does this mean that there are wedding bells in the future?"**

_"Anything's possible. What else would you like to know?" _Gabriella gave Melody a big smile, indicating that the topic was not open for discussion.

**"Ok, um, Troy. What was your reaction when Gabriella left?"**

"I was shocked and extremely upset. I didn't know why she was leaving, where she was going, anything. I was really depressed in the months that followed, until some friends shook me out of it. It was definitely one of the worst moments of my life, but I understand now."

**"What was your reaction to finding out you had a child?"**

"I was happy and stunned, but I don't blame Brie for doing what she did. Had things been any different, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. I'm actually very grateful for what Gabi did. She allowed us to both take a break, and accomplish things that wouldn't have otherwise happened. Don't get me wrong, I missed her every moment that she was gone, but I definitely wouldn't be in the position I'm in if not for her.

**"It sounds like you really love her."**

"I do. A lot."

_"I love you too."_

**"One more question. What do you two plan on doing, now that America's most eligible bachelor is spoken for?"**

"We plan on carrying on as we always have. The fame and fortune doesn't really affect Gabi the way it does…some people._ We've been best friends since we've known each other and that won't change, no matter how much money either of us has, or anything. Besides, if Troy's head gets too big, I know how to deflate it. It's one of my many talents. _She shoved Troy playfully, and he pouted playfully. She giggled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. I guess we just know how to handle each other, no matter what. Plus, we have amazing friends that don't let us forget about each other._ Yeah, they'll say something if one of us gets out of line. It's great having people like that around you. They're good for you._

(END INTERVIEW)

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"Thanks again for doing this for us," Gabriella said, reaching over to embrace the reporter.

"It was my pleasure. You truly are a remarkable girl, Gabriella," Melody replied happily. She leaned in to whisper in Gabi's ear. "And I expect an invitation to your wedding, when the time comes."

Gabi blushed and pulled away, glaring lightly at Melody, who laughed. Troy shook his head, wondering what had been said, but he said nothing.

"If you ever need another interview done, just call me. Here's my extension," Melody said, handing Troy a business card, which he tucked "safely" into his pocket. Gabi made a mental note to take it out later, less she wanted it washed into oblivion.

"Will do, Melody. Just call us if you need any blanks filled. You have my number," Troy said, shaking her hand gently.

"Ok," Melody chirped, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Troy pressed the elevator button and moments later, the bell rang and the doors slid open. Melody stepped in and smiled, waving at the happy couple. They waved back with nearly as much enthusiasm, smiling until the door closed and the elevator started its descent.

As soon as Troy heard the elevator start to move, his shoulders slumped, his smile faded, and he leaned against Gabi, making her stumble to the side. She grinned and shoved him gently(ish) the other way, a move he did not expect nor see, as his eyes were closed. He took several steps before he caught himself.

"What was that for!?" he exclaimed, trying to control his mirth as he watched his girlfriend laugh, clutching desperately at her side.

"You are just so funny!" she said, as if that would explain it. He rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen, trying to ignore the beautiful, laughing woman following him.

After checking the cupboards and refrigerator for nonexistent food, Gabriella was still giggling. The sound was like a drug for Troy, and finally, he couldn't take it. He spun quickly, pulling Gabriella to his body before she knew what was happening. He stared passionately into her eyes, wrapping one strong arm around her waist and placing the other behind her head, caressing her soft hair.

Gabriella immediately stopped laughing, suddenly breathless with love and anticipation. What had brought on this sudden change in attitude she knew not, but she wished she knew, so she could bring it o n more often.

'Wait, did I really just think that?' she thought, eyes widening when she realized she actually meant it.

Troy mistook her widened eyes and pulled away slightly, dropping his hand from head to join the other at her waist. He gazed at her in concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice thick with emotion. It was obvious he didn't want to stop, that he wanted to kiss her, love her, hold her. But his love for her was also what made him stop. "Was it something I did?

"No!" Gabi yelped, startling both Troy and herself. "I mean, it wasn't you. I had a…thought that surprised me."

"Oh. What was this thought?" Troy asked coyly, deep voice causing Gabi to tremble with emotion.

"I was wondering what brought on your sudden change in attitude, and then…" she trailed off, biting her lip. Troy laughed softly, causing Gabi too shudder again.

"What?" he prodded gently. He was curious now, and he would do almost anything to find out. "You can tell me anything."

He breathed the last word into her ear before placing feather-light kisses along her jaw and down her neck. The Gabi he knew couldn't resist this, and he doubted their time apart had changed that.

She shuddered and moaned, tilting her head to give him better access.

"Tell me, Gabi," he murmured huskily against her neck, scraping his teeth lightly under her jaw. "You know you want to."

"I wondered…what…brought on your…change of mind…" she gasped, hardly able to form coherent sentences, with her mind clouding with passion. "I wanted to know it…so…oh…I could bring it on more often."

He smiled against her neck, and started placing more passionate, heavy kisses on her neck and jaw. "Well, I can't exactly tell you that."

"Why?" she whined, stifling a moan.

"Because I don't know," he said casually. "But I'm pretty sure that's just the effect you have on me."

"Oh, to hell with it!" Gabriella finally lost it. She grabbed his head as gently as she could manage and pulled him up to kiss his soft lips, wrapping her arms around his head as soon as she was sure he wouldn't let go.

"You have that effect on me too," she managed to gasp out between kisses. "I'm just better at hiding it than you."

He chuckled against her lips and pulled her closer, tangling his hands in her hair.

Gradually, their kisses became more heated, and soon Troy was attempting to back them out of the room, mentally cursing himself for being so far from their rooms. When Gabriella realized what he was doing, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her easily into his room, never breaking the kiss, kicking the door closed behind him. As soon as he stopped moving, Gabi unwrapped herself and placed her feet back on the ground.

Gabriella untangled her hands from his hair and let them wander down his back. She slipped them under his shirt and let them wander again, marveling at the feel of his abs. She pushed his shirt farther up, fingers dancing excitedly over every inch of exposed skin. Finally, as she became frustrated with the piece of fabric, she decidedly pulled it over Troy's head, immediately seeking his lips as soon as they were free.

Troy pulled anxiously at the hem of Gabi's shirt, giddy when she lifted her arms, indicating he pull it off. He did so happily, leaving her in her strapless bra. They continued to make out allowing their hands to stray over one another's bodies.

Suddenly Troy pulled away, grasping Gabi's trembling hands in his own as she stared confused and slightly hurt into his eyes. Her jeans were unbuttoned but still on, as were his, but neither expected that to stay much longer.

"What?" Gabriella whispered, eyes shimmering. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, baby no," he cooed, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I'm just wondering…do you really want this?"

She stared at him, puzzled, yet she loved him for being so caring. She decided that he had a point, and thought it over. His expression never wavered from that of undying love.

"Troy, baby," she started, chewing over the words before she said them. "I love you with all my heart, and even though we were apart five years, I never stopped loving you. I had a constant reminder of you in Jackson. That interview was just the closure I needed to finally get over our time apart. I'm ready for anything as long as I'm with you."

He stared at her before taking her face gently in his hands and kissing her, pouring all his emotions into that single kiss. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless as if it were their first kiss.

"You're sure?" She nodded and he growled softly, happily. Gabriella threw her arms around Troy's neck and jumped up to wrap her legs again around his waist. He carried her to his bed and collapsed onto it with her in his arms.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Again, please let me know what you think, and I'll try to update as soon as I can, but it may be a while. Can't say I didn't warn ya!**

**xoTESSxo**


	11. Chapter 8

**WARNING: This chapter may contain "harsh" language, so if you are extremely offended by swear words, I wouldn't read this if I were you.**

**Anyways, sorry I haven't updated recently, but with my current season coming to a close and school in full swing, I have been very busy. I try to write when I get time, but most of the time it's in a notebook, and I can never seem to find time to type it. My apologies. Anyways, enjoy!!**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Holy shit!"

Troy instinctively pulled Gabriella closer, opening his eyes slowly against the new light. Gabi, it seemed, had already seen whatever was in the doorway, as she had turned her warm face into his side, pulling the sheets up to her chin. A quick glance at her told Troy she was indeed blushing. Troy lifted his eyes to the doorway and froze.

"What the fuck are you guys doing here!?" he responded acidly, glancing at the clock next to his bed. It read 3:00. They had only been asleep for 45 minutes, and Jackson shouldn't be dropped off for a couple more hours, so why were Chad, Zeke, Sharpay and Taylor standing in his bedroom door.

"We were _supposed_ to eat at Denver's this afternoon, remember?" Taylor said slowly. It seemed she was the only one capable of coherent speech. "We were supposed to meet in the lobby at 2:45. When you didn't come down, we came up."

Troy racked his brain, searching for the memory that he had been told of this, but he couldn't concentrate with a naked Gabi curled up next to him.

As he was thinking, Sharpay regained her voice and with it, let out a strange noise that was a mix between a growl, and shriek, and somewhat of a squeak. Zeke reached for Sharpay's arm, but she jerked it out of his grasp and pointed at Gabi.

"You," she spat, pointing now in the general direction of Gabi's room. "Now."

"Now, Pay, baby. Let's be reasonable," Zeke soothed, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Gabriella Marie Montez, if you're ass isn't in that room in five minutes, so help me, I will…well, you don't even want to know," she growled and spun angrily on her heel, stalking back to the kitchen. Zeke and Taylor followed shortly, dragging a still-sputtering Chad behind them. Thankfully, their friends had thought to close the door.

"Gabi, babe, you better do what she says, I don't think anyone wants an angry Sharpay roaming loose," Troy said softly, reaching up to stroke her head.

"Troooooooy," she groaned, voice low.

"What? You ok?" he asked, sitting up, bringing her with him. She still clutched the blanket to her chest. He sighed and grabbed a towel from his floor, wrapping it around his waist. He went into his closet and emerged moments later with two pairs of sweatpants and a large t-shirt. Troy grabbed his boxers from the floor, putting them on under the towel before abandoning it all together and pulling on one of the pairs of sweatpants. He passed the other to articles of clothing to Gabriella, along with her bra and underwear, which he had grabbed from the floor. She slid them on under the covers, mumbling a thank you, and rose slowly.

Gabriella walked to Troy and reached up to place a peck on his lips before crossing through the bathroom. Just before she was out of view, she turned to him. "If you hear any screaming, call the police." And with that, she exited, dramatically closing the door behind her.

(WITH GABI)

Gabi sat nervously on her bed, playing with the hem of Troy's shirt. She didn't really want to know what Sharpay was going to do to her, but she was about to find out.

Sharpay burst through the door, angrily, it seemed, and glared at the small girl on the bed before taking a seat on the large window seat. Taylor made a more courteous entrance, closing the door softly behind her and sitting next to Gabi on the bed.

No one said anything for several minutes. All were trying to figure out what to say.

Surprisingly, it was Taylor who broke the silence. "Gabs, would you care to explain. We're..._I'm_ not angry. I'm just curious and confused."

"Well, we did the interview, which was so great, by the way. The reporter was really nice and she totally respected our boundaries and stuff," Gabriella gushed, meaning to continue on this track, but the murderous look in Sharpay's eyes stopped her. "Anyways, what started it was when she left, Troy jokingly fell against me, so I shoved him back and he almost fell over. So I started laughing and he got moody and went into the kitchen for food, only there was none."

"I was still laughing, and I followed him, and all of a sudden, he was…holding me, I guess. Like, he spun around and grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him. It was so weird. But then we kinda started making out, and one thing led to another, and…" she trailed off, glancing nervously at Shrapay, for good reason. The blonde looked like she about to murder someone.

"I'm going to kill Bolton," she ground out. Her hands were clenched in her fists, and she was getting s bit red.

"Why?" Taylor asked calmly, much too calm for the current situation. "What did he do?"

"He…_did_ _it_ with Gabi," she said, voice growing louder.

"What's wrong with that?" Taylor responded coolly. "They are adults, Shar. And they love each other. That's what adults who love each other do; they have sex."

"She's not ready!" Sharpay lost what little control she possessed. Her answer was so loud, Gabi was sure the guys could hear it. "They were apart for five years, and there's Jackson, and Troy totally seduced my Gabi into thinking that she was ready and…and…and…"

"Sharpay, hush! Gabi wants to say something." Gabi was staring at Sharpay with a mixture of love and horror on her face, with a small amount of comprehension.

"But I was ready," Gabriella said meekly. Sharpay scoffed, but let her continue. "Troy stopped. He wasn't going to go through with it because he thought I didn't want it. He asked me if I really was sure, if I would regret it when it was over. I told him that I was 100% sure. Guys, that interview was all I needed. It was my closure, my way of getting everything off my chest. That was what was holding me back from loving Troy with my whole heart. I'm good now."

"You're sure about this?" Taylor asked softly. "We support you no matter what, but we don't want to see you get hurt again."

"No, I swear I'm fine. Even if I were to get pregnant again, I'm confident in my position and Troy's."

"Wait, did you use protection during you little adventure?" Sharpay asked bluntly. Gabi flushed crimson and sputtered, but nodded. "Good. I would really kill Bolton if he hadn't thought of that. You really aren't ready for another baby, and I know this for a fact."

"Sharpay, now you're just _looking_ for an excuse to kill Troy," Taylor said. Sharpay thought for moment, and nodded vigorously, a slightly malicious smile on her face.

"Yeah, pretty much," Sharpay said. Her tone was much happier, which in turn made Gabi happy. She knew Pay was just making sure she wasn't forced into it. Troy would never do that to her, but it was nice to know her friends were looking out for her. But now that Shar was convinced of the mutual consent of that afternoon, she was happy.

"So tell us, Gabs," Taylor asked coyly. "How was it?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(WITH TROY)

Troy waited in his room until he was sure Sharpay was with Gabi. He did not want to face her until Gabi explained. He was sure she would inflict bodily harm to him, which was something he did not want to risk.

Once he heard Gabi's door open loudly, he made a hasty exit, fleeing to the kitchen. He knew Chad and Zeke would be waiting for him there, but he really had no other option.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Chad was in his face.

"Do you have any idea how much you've scarred me for life in the last 20 minutes!?" he cried, throwing up his arms in a most Chad-like way. "And I can't believe you would do _that_ to Gabi!?"

"Do what?" Troy was thoroughly confused.

"You know what I mean! I mean, just a few months ago, she was gone, and then we found her, and…" Chad was rambling, and making some interesting hand motions. Troy looked at him, then at Zeke, who was also staring in a mixture of mirth and confusion at Chad. Troy decided to stop him before he got too into his long-winded explanation.

"Chad, stop," Troy said carefully. Chad closed his mouth. "Thank you. Zeke, would you please explain in regular English what Chad was trying to say?"

Chad opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Zeke, who pushed a cookie into his hands. Chad immediately lost his train of thought and began eating his cookie, moving around the counter in what he thought was a genius defensive maneuver. It would have been extremely funny normally, but given the current situation, neither of the observers found humor in it.

"What Chad was trying to say, I _think_, is that you probably shouldn't have slept with Gabi, considering the time frame and such. Do you honestly think that after everything that has happened in the past few months, she was emotionally ready for that? I'm pretty sure that's what Sharpay is saying to Gabi right now too," Zeke said, gazing at Troy with an eerie calm on his face. As if on cue, all three of them suddenly heard a shriek from the other room, followed by 'She's not ready!'

"Ok, well, apparently you were right about the whole Sharpay thing. You know you're wife well, don't you Zeke?" Troy said, laughing softly at the expression on Zeke's face. "And to answer you're other question, yes, I do think she was ready."

"Would you care to explain how you came to that solution?" Zeke pressed, brow wrinkling as he tried to understand Troy's reasoning.

"Guys, I think you're misunderstanding everything," Troy said slowly, choosing his words as carefully as he could. He knew these people better than anyone and they all cared for Gabi nearly as much as he did, in a different way. His exact words would be reported to Sharpay and Taylor, and vice versa. "I love her, guys. Every time she cries, I want to cry. When she laughs, I can't help but laugh too. She is my weakness. If she wants something, no matter how outrageous, I can't keep myself from giving it to her. She wanted that. I wasn't going to do it; I didn't think she was ready. But the way she looked at me, the way she said what she said," he groaned and leaned on the counter, putting his head in his hands. "I can't _not _do it. I just can't. You guys have to know what that's like."

Neither Zeke nor Chad said anything, and Troy simply assumed it was them being stupid or shocked. But after a minute, he looked up, confused. They were staring in shock at the doorway. Turning, Troy immediately saw what had entranced them so. Sharpay was standing in the doorway, a thoughtful look on her face. She seemed to be considering something. She looked up and noticed Troy was looking at her too. She stared for a moment, then turned and walked back towards Gabi's room.

"Sharpay! Wait!" Troy called, about to go after her. She reappeared in the doorway. "Don't…say anything about what you heard to Gabriella, 'kay? I want to tell her myself, when I'm ready."

She nodded slowly and disappeared from the kitchen. Troy sighed and slumped into a chair. Zeke sat down next to him, and Chad sat across the island.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Zeke said half-heartedly, attempting a joke. Troy responded with a weak smile.

"This has been way too stressful for me. I need a drink," Chad moaned. Zeke and Troy turned to stare at him with surprise. "What? I do!"

"Wow. After everything that's happened to _me_ and _he's_ the one that needs a drink," Troy said incredulously. Zeke shook his head and Chad Troy a thumbs-up and a cheesy smile. After a moment, they all burst out laughing. It shouldn't have been that funny, but given the current stress levels of all involved, they basically snapped.

They didn't even notice that the girls had entered the kitchen, or that they had filled up pots with water, until it came pouring down over their heads. Sputtering, the guys lurched of their seats, looking every which way to attempt to identify the source of the attack. Their eyes finally fell on their girls, who were laughing hysterically, holding pots that had water dripping out of them.

"What was that for? Now we don't have any clothes!" Chad exclaimed, holding his drenched shirt away from his equally-drenched body.

"Just the way we like it," Taylor said huskily, causing all the boys to stop what they were doing and stare with a mixture of disbelief and happiness at their lady loves. Gabriella, Sharpay, and Taylor put on their sexiest faces, popped provocative poses, and waved at the now slightly breathless men standing in the kitchen.

Chad leaned over to Zeke, who was standing next to him, and whispered none to quietly, "This is _weird_, dude!" Zeke nodded wordlessly.

"Brie, Tay, I think we better go. We have some errands to run, boys. We'll pick Jackson up on the way home. We're going out to dinner to make up for this missed lunch," Sharpay said, turning to walk back to Gabriella's room, since her purse was there. Gabi and Taylor turned with her and went to Gabi's room. Sharpay stopped and turned to toss one more comment at the dumbfounded basketball players. "Oh, and boys? You're dripping. Clean it up."

They just stood there for several minutes before they found their voices. The girls had already left, not before poking their heads back into the kitchen to find their men in the same position they had left them in.

"What…just happened?" Zeke said, looking unhappily down at his still dripping body.

"Dude, I don't know but I'm glad we keep clothes at each other's houses," Chad said, pulling his wet shirt off and wringing it over the sink. Zeke moved to do the same while Troy went to the bathroom and grabbed three towels. He tossed two to Chad and Zeke and used the third to dry off as much of himself as he could, before throwing the towel on the ground to soak up the puddle of water on the tile.

They quickly cleaned the kitchen, mopping up the water that was sprayed around the room. Troy then texted Gabriella to find out what kind of restaurant they were going to. He didn't want to be underdressed. Her response was to be semi-formal. After informing Chad and Zeke of this, they all retreated to various bathrooms to get ready. All of the couples had a room and necessities at one another's places. It was so common for them to crash randomly at someone's home other than their own that they finally just left stuff there.

As Troy relaxed under the warm spray of the shower, he let his mind drift back over recent events. It seemed that luck was finally back on his side. Basketball season was going great, his friends were all relatively content, he had his Brie back. Nothing could go wrong, right?

It took him 20 minutes to remember. Troy was brushing his teeth when it finally crossed his mind. He froze on the spot, staring with horror at his reflection.

'Shit!' he thought desperately. 'I never told my parents! Thank Gad for that two month vacation to Europe I sent them on right before this all happened! I'm sure this wouldn't be in the tabloids there.'

Quickly, he spat and finished getting ready, throwing on random clothes as he bolted to the kitchen. Zeke and Chad were already there. Troy grabbed his cell and hit speed-dial 4, ignoring the questioning looks his friends were shooting him.

"C'mon, pick up," he muttered, tapping his foot impatiently as he leaned against the island. Just as he was about to give up, his mom answered.

"Hello?" Lucille Bolton chirped. Troy breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Mom? It's Troy," he said. "How's Europe?"

"Oh, Troy, it's beautiful here!" she gushed. "It's too bad we fly back tomorrow. Your father and I will have to come back someday. Jack, Troy's on the phone."

Troy heard his father voice a muffled hello.

"Mom, put me on speaker," Troy said. "I need to ask you something."

There was a hint of concern in his voice, and it made Lucille go quiet. She mumbled something Troy couldn't understand to Jack before putting the phone on speaker.

"What did you want to tell us, dear?" Lucille asked quietly. It was clear from her tone that she was worried about her only son.

"Um, I don't really know how to say this, but a lot has…happened…since you guys left. I, uh…sort of found Gabi," he said slowly. Lucille drew in a sharp breath. She hadn't forgiven Gabriella for breaking her baby's heart. "Mom, its fine. We had a long talk, and there's a lot that you need to know, but I…no, we need to tell you in person. She has a good reason for doing what she did."

There was a long pause on the other end. Jack was most likely relaxed. He always said Gabi had a good head on her shoulders, and his was the voice of reason when she left. He had been telling Troy and Lucille for years that there was probably a completely legitimate reason for what she had done. Neither of them had ever really listened to him, but Troy knew now how right his father really was.

Finally, she sighed. "If you say so, Troy. I'll give her a chance to explain."

"Thank you." Troy let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "We'll have dinner tomorrow night after you guys fly in. I'll call you with more details later. Oh, one more thing. I need you guys to avoid all the gossips magazines and stuff until me and Gabriella explain everything to you."

"Ok, but why?" Lucille agreed.

"Well, the press basically got wind of what happened and starting spreading lies, so Gabi and I had to do some damage control. I don't want you guys finding out about it that way."

"Alright, sweetie, we'll avoid the tabloids until our dinner," Lucille said. She was confused as to why she hadn't been told of what happened before the press, but she knew her son probably didn't want to worry her on her vacation.

"Thanks Mom," Troy said. "This means a lot to both of us."

"…Of course." It was clear that Lucille wasn't buying that Troy had forgiven Gabriella completely, but she would figure it out soon. "We'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Son," Jack spoke up. He knew how much Lucille disliked Gabi these days, but she would get over it. "I'm glad you have Gabs back. She's good for you."

"Thanks Dad," Troy said. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you," the chorused before hanging up. Troy let out a sigh of relief and let his head roll back, closing his eyes.

"What was that about?" Chad asked. Troy regretfully opened his eyes. He had almost forgotten about them.

"I never told my parents that Gabi was back. I didn't want them to see the stories before we explained everything," Troy explained wearily. Glancing at his watch, he jumped. "Damn! We have to leave in 15. Be ready."

And with that, he ran back to his room to finish getting ready.


	12. Chapter 9

…**Please don't kill me. I'm sorry I haven't updated in like 7 months, but I've been swimming non-stop and school and…well it's been hectic. Anyways, please enjoy. I'm officially on summer vacation, so I'll try to write as much as I can.**

**-----**

Gabriella sat on the couch, Troy standing nervously behind her. She was carefully inspecting a magazine. She finally placed the magazine on the glass coffee table.

"Melody did an amazing job," she said, smiling up at Troy. "This explains our situation very well, and Shar even managed to get them to interview our friends for more positive input. But then again, who in their right mind would say no to her?"

Troy sat down at her side and pulled her petite figure into his lap. They stayed like that for a while; Gabriella burled up in Troy's lap, head resting gently in the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her body. He rested his cheek on her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. To them, this was bliss. _I could stay like this forever_, Troy thought happily.

"Brie," Troy whispered gently, unhappy at having to break the moment. "We need to get ready. We're meeting my parents in an hour and a half."

She sighed heavily and pulled herself out of his lap. "Then I'd better get started. I want to look good for your parents. They aren't happy with me."

Troy chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Gabriella's spine. "You're only half right, my dear. My dad forgives you. My mom, on the other hand…"

"Well, that's one less person I need to beg forgiveness from," she said before heading off to take a shower. Troy stood and moved to follow her. She turned to face him, a small smile playing across her face. "And Troy?"

"Yea, babe?"

"You can't shower with me," she giggled as his face fell. "You know that it'll get out of hand. Go get Jackson. I told Shar not to today."

She reached up to give him a quick kiss on the lips, then retreated into her room to get ready. Troy sighed dejectedly and grabbed his car keys.

-

-

Troy had only been on the road for a couple of minutes when his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he answered it.

"What's up, man!" he said, greeting his best friend.

"Nothing much," Chad replied. "I just wanted to see how you guys are doing? You read that article?"

"Nah, but Brie did, and she was happy, so," Troy told him. "If she's happy, then I'm happy."

"Dude, you are so whipped!" Chad laughed.

"Whatever, you're the one who's married!" Troy retorted, laughing at Chad's momentary silence.

"…fine, you win," Chad sighed, defeated. "So, Gabs's birthday is coming up…"

"Yea, and?" Troy asked suspiciously. He knew where this was going. Chad was not known for being the most discreet person.

"Whatcha getting her?" Chad blurted. God, he sounded like a little kid. But then again, he sort of was one.

"I'll tell you if you promise to keep your big mouth shut," Troy said sternly. "The last surprise I told you about, you ended up telling the entire student body at East High."

"I won't, I swear," Chad insisted.

"Ok, I have a few things for her," Troy started. "To start, I bought this little loft down the street in an artsy building. I'm converting it to be a studio-slash-office for her. You know how she loves photography? Well, I renovated part of the loft to be a mini-studio. It's tricked out with all the cameras and equipment she'd need, plus a state-of-the-art computer that has the best photo editing program money can buy."

"Wow. That must have cost a ton!" Chad said. "How come you never get me anything this good for my birthday?"

"_You_ aren't my long-lost girlfriend, "Troy said, laughing when Chad mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'For stuff like that, I would be.' "And I wasn't done. There's more."

"Damn! You're gonna go broke, buying all this for Gabs."

"No I'm not, and she deserves it after everything she's been through. Now, do you want to hear the rest or not?" Chad was silent. "Ok. So, besides the photography, she's always loved books. So I made another room into a huge library. I stocked it with books by all her favorite authors, plus books that were recommended when I bought those. She also wants to write a book someday, so there's another computer that she can do that on. Plus, she wants to get into substitute teaching if she can, so I build a study that she can do teacher stuff in. It's also equipped with all the basic needs; kitchen, bedroom."

"You _are_ going to go broke! Anything else the love of your life needs?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"One more," Troy responded. Chad groaned, but was otherwise silent. "I'm gonna take her to the humane society and buy her a pet. Whatever she wants…within reason."

"Why!? She already has a kid! What other pet does she need?"

"You're going to be a great father once Tay has that baby," Troy remarked. That shut Chad up. "In case she gets lonely. I'll be traveling, so she'll be home alone sometimes. Besides, she loves animals."

"You are the most disgustingly love-sick person I have ever met in my life. You are worse than in high school," Chad said, trying his best to sound disgusted. Inside, he was pleased that the old Troy was back.

"As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder," Troy retorted. Chad gagged. He pulled up to Jackson's daycare just then. "Got to go, dude. I'm picking Jackson up, than we have dinner with my parents."

"Good luck with that, man," Chad said. "Tell Jackson I say hey."

"Will do. Bye, man," Troy hung up and parked the truck. He pulled a beanie from under his seat and shoved all his hair under it. Digging in the glove compartment, he pulled out a pair of aviator sunglasses and put them on. Praying there would be no paparazzi, especially in lieu of recent events, he stepped out of the car, walking briskly into the daycare.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he pulled off his sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket. He walked to the counter and rang the bell. Almost immediately, an elderly woman emerged from the back room.

"Can I help you, deary?" It was clear she had no idea who he was, a fact that pleased him.

"I'm here to pick up my son," he responded, leaning forward on the counter. "Jackson Bolton."

"They're almost done. Why don't you have a seat?" the old lady said, gesturing to a sofa behind him. He smiled and nodded at her, and went to take a seat. He picked up one of the magazines that were placed on the coffee table and began to flip through it casually. He was just making himself comfortable when several people, presumably parents, walked in. Troy sunk lower into his seat and raised the magazine to cover his face.

"Did you see today's issue of People?" he heard on woman ask another. "Troy Bolton has a girlfriend and a kid! Can you believe it!?"

"I know!" another responded. Troy puched himself even farther into the sofa. "What happened to that cheerleader he was dating? I liked her."

Troy winced inwardly. He still had to tell Brie about Candy. Sooner or later, she ouwld find out. Candy was still after him.

"I heard that the cheerleader cheated on him, though. What a bitch. Why would you cheat on _Troy Bolton_?" the first lady said, shaking her head. Troy silently wondered how he was going to get out of the building unnoticed. Just then, the class let out, and Troy forgot about it all momentarilty as Jackson rnan towards him. He hadn't seen Jackson all day.

"Daddy!" Jackson semi-yelled, jumping into Troy's lap. Troy tossed the magazine aside and gace his son a hug, standing awkwardly as he did.

"Hey, champ. How was your day?" Troy asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other parents staring, pointing at him and whispering to their friends. "Uncle Chad says hey."

"We got to paint today!" Jackson exclaimed holding up hands that were still tinted carious colors. Troy could see paint splatters o his clothes as well.

Just then, the two women that had been talking earlier walked up to Troy. "Excuse me, but are you Troy Bolton?"

"Pleased to meet you," Troy said pleasantly.

The women looked at each other and giggled. "And this must be your son, Jackson. I'm Camille, and this is Alyson." She was referring to the little girl in pigtails clutching her hand.

"And I'm Racheal. This is my daughter, Brea," the other woman added, patting the head of the young girl next to her.

"Anyways, we are huge fans, and we think it's so great you're being a father to this child," Camille gushed. Troy frowned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"That came out wrong. We mean, it's so great that after all these years, and what seemingly happened between you two, it's great you can forgive her for walking out on you," she clarified.

"Yea, lots of Hollywood types wouldn't be able to get past it and move on in this situation. Not even for a cutie like you," Rachael cooed to Jackson. "He really is adorable. He looks just like you."

"Thank you," Troy nodded graciously. "I have to run, but it was nice talking to you. Maybe I'll see you around here again."

They nodded and waved, turning their attentions back to their daughters. Troy pulled his sunglasses and car keys from his pocket, sliding on the sunglasses, and walked out of the building. He glanced warily around, checking for paparazzi. When he had decided the coast was clear, he walked briskly to his charcoal grey Range Rover Sport, setting Jackson down so the boy could run giggling to the passenger's side of the SUV.

"Jackson, back seat," he called, unlocking the doors. Jackson groaned.

"But Uncle Chaddy lets me ride in the front," he complained. Troy rolled his eyes and made a mental note to talk to Chad about that.

"Well, Uncle Chad is wrong. Back seat," he said. Jackson grumbled but did as he was told. He hadn't known his father for long, but since his mommy loved the man, he knew he must too. Troy chuckled and climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. He quickly put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. He was not going to wait and see if the paparazzi were on their way, especially not today.

-

-

When they arrived back at the apartment, Gabriella was still in the bathroom. Troy quickly drew a bath for Jackson and laid out the appropriate clothing for his son. Ushering the boy into the bathroom, he told Jackson he'd be back in 15 minutes to check if he was done.

With that, he retreated to his own room. He stood for a moment, thinking, before shrugging and entering the bathroom. Stopping in the doorway, he admired his girlfriend for a moment before stepping further into the room.

"Back already?" Gabriella asked him, not turning away from the mirror. She was meticulously curling her hair. It was clear that she was nervous for the dinner and was making sure everything was perfect.

"There were middle-aged women there. They recognized me." Troy shuddered. "I narrowly escaped with my life!"

"I'm sure you did. When you were avoiding capture, you did grab Jackson, right?" Troy didn't say anything. Gabriella put down the curling iron and turned to him. "Troy Alexander Bolton!"

"Relax, Brie. He's taking a bath," Troy said calmly, hiding his smirk.

"Don't mess with me like that, Troy," she scolded as she returned to curling her hair. "I'll be done in here soon."

Troy nodded, deciding against the fairly dirty response that had popped into his head, and went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. After a few minutes of thinking, he went to Jackson's bathroom and knocked on the door.

"How you doin', bud?" Troy called. "Almost done?"

Jackson replied with a muffled yes, and Troy opened the door. He started draining the bath and helped Jackson out. Ushering his son into his bedroom, Troy instructed him to get dressed, brush his teeth, and comb his hair, and there would be a small snack waiting for him in the kitchen. With that, Troy retreated back into his own room.

Quickly, he pulled a pair of clean boxers from his closet and went into the bathroom. Gabriella was still getting ready, but Troy started the shower anyways. She didn't turn from the mirror even as he began to strip down. He quickly climbed into the steaming shower.

"Sorry I'm fogging up the mirrors, babe," he said loudly. He hated showering in silence. Normally, he would turn on the stereo in his room, but that would be rude.

"It's no problem, honey. I'll deal cuz I love ya!" Gabriella replied. She stayed silent for a moment or two, but Troy could sense that there was something that she wanted to say."…ok, so do you really think your mother will forgive me."

Troy sighed lightly. They had been over this many times, but Gabriella was still nervous. "I think that once we explain the whole situation, and once she meets Jackson, she'll forgive. I honestly think my mom _wants_ to forgive you."

Gabriella nodded absently, forgetting Troy couldn't see her. She turned her attention back to the mirror, getting back to her make-up. Troy stood in the shower, absentmindedly washing his hair. He was thinking about a conversation he had had with Chad and Zeke after they had caught him and Gabriella in bed together.

_*FLASHBACK*_

"_Dude, when are you gonna finally bring Gabs and Jackson to a game?" Chad asked as they dried themselves and the kitchen around them. Their girlfriends had just dumped buckets of water all over them for no apparent reason._

"_Soon, man, soon. I think now that this story has gotten out to the press, we're gonna let it chill for a bit before I take her out. I don't want her to be attacked," Troy explained._

"_Um, Troy, aren't you forgetting someone?" Zeke asked. Troy turned to look at him quizzically. "You still haven't told Gabriella about Candy…"_

_Zeke and Chad flinched at her name and Troy just stopped and stood, staring at the pristine white wall._

"_I totally forgot about that bitch!" It seemed Chad was the first to come out of his shock. "Is she still after you?"_

"_Nah, I think she's over it. But still…right after we broke up, she got to like every single one of my girlfriends. I have to tell Brie about her. Candy will eat her alive," Troy muttered absentmindedly. He was already trying to think of a good way to tell Brie._

_*END FLASHBACK*_

"Hey babe? I have to tell you something." There's no time like the present, right? "Did you follow the tabloid stories about me at all?"

"Kind of," she responded. "Some of the stupid sounding ones I ignored but I read most of them. Why?"

"Did you ever read about Candy?" Her silence was enough of an answer for him. "First off, sorry about her, but she seemed nice when I met her. But what I'm trying to get at is, she still thinks we're 'meant to be' or whatever, and she basically stalks me at practices and parties and stuff sometimes. She's threatened most of the girlfriends I've had since her. And honestly, I'm scared to think of what she might do to you or to Jackson. I know you can take care of yourself, but…"

He trailed off, hoping that he hadn't offended her or anything. He gave her time to think it all over, finishing his shower in silence. When he thought they should talk, he turned off the shower and grabbed his towel. She was carefully applying her mascara, the finishing touch to her look. She had yet to dress, and was standing there in only her undergarments and Troy stared discreetly in appreciation. He was amazed how she had become more beautiful in her absence.

She turned to look at him. He couldn't read the expression on her face. "I will deal with that when it comes time. This Candy had better watch out though, because I will protect my baby with my life."

Troy had to admire the subtle ferocity in her voice and words. Obviously, single motherhood had given her a fierce protectiveness she had not had in high school.

"I know, Brie. I just wanted you to know," he said softly. "No secrets. I don't want to hide anything from you."

She smiled and reached out to give him a quick kiss. No secrets. She liked the sound of that. "I love you. Now get dressed. We need to leave in 20 minutes."

-

-

**So?? I know it's been a long time coming but I've been extremely busy. Anyways, please review, and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up relatively soon. ******


	13. Chapter 10

**Ok, don't hate me. I know it's been a really, REALLY long time since I updated, but I've been incredibly busy, I hit massive writer's block with this story and I started another one that I was having more success writing. But I have recently gotten inspiration and came back to this story. Since it's been a long time coming, I hope you enjoy it, and please review, as always. I enjoy hearing any and all feedback and I am always open to fresh ideas!**

The car ride to the restaurant was silent, except for the sound of the radio, which crooned some form of child's music, keeping Jackson entertained. Troy clenched the steering wheel while Gabriella stared nervously out the window, silently going over every 'what if' scenario she could think of. Finally, Troy broke the silence.

"Baby, do we have a plan for when we get there?" he asked, keeping his voice down so Jackson wouldn't hear. He had been contemplating the best plan of action so as to freak out his mother the least.

She turned to him with a wide-eyed, panicked look. "I hadn't even thought of that. Oh goodness…"

"Brie, just calm down! It's going to be ok," he assured her as her breathing sped up. "I think I know what to do. I don't want Jackson there right away cuz it's very possible things could get ugly. I was thinking, since I know the wait staff very well, we could just have someone watch Jackson for a little while until my mom settles down and we get things more straightened out. Does that sound ok?"

Gabriella bit her lip and thought, her eyes flicking between Troy, the road and Jackson's reflection in the rearview mirror. Finally, she nodded, though you could still see the uncertainty in her eyes. Troy took one hand off the wheel and reached over to clasp Gabriella's much smaller one in his own. He ran his thumb reassuringly over the back of her hand.

"Everything's going to be ok, baby. My mom might be angry at you right now, but she only wants me to be happy, and she'll understand everything when we explain it. I promise she doesn't hate you. She just doesn't understand the reason things happened the way they did," he murmured reassuringly, feeling her body relax a little. He had always had this effect on her. "I love you, Brie, and nothing anyone says can ever change that."

"I love you too, Wildcat," she said. He grinned over at her. This was the future he had always imagined. The two of them, together, with a family. It may have been a little out of order, but it was still all he could ask for.

Before long, they pulled into the parking lot of a beautiful, Italian-style restaurant. It was far enough out of the city that it wasn't swarming with celebrities and paparazzi, but it was distinctly apparent to Gabriella that it was upscale.

"Troy, this place is gorgeous!" Gabriella breathed. "How did you find this place?"

"Well, when the guys and I first came here for college, Zeke naturally made it his duty to eat at as many different types of places in and around the city to find out who had the best food. He found this place, which has the best lasagna in Southern California, by the way, and told anyone who would listen that it was the best. So when I first signed with the Lakers, I took my parents here for dinner at least twice a month. It's become really well-known among our close celebrity friends as low-key but incredibly delicious. And, best of all, the paps haven't gotten wind of it yet."

Gabriella nodded along with his story, looking around to take in the grounds. In the distance, she could see a small vineyard and several farm-like structures. It was absolutely beautiful. She could see how Zeke would find this place to be so appealing. They sat for a few more minutes before Troy turned to Gabriella.

"You ready?" She nodded pensively. He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her temple. "It's going to be ok."

They got out of the truck and made their way inside. It was beautifully decorated, with dim, romantic lighting. The hostess looked up to greet them and gasped.

"Troy Bolton!" she exclaimed, a huge smile dancing across her face. She was tall and very pretty. Gabriella inwardly cringed. "I haven't seen you around in a while!"

Troy laughed as the woman came around the hostess stand and enveloped him in a hug. "I've been busy the last few weeks, Spencer. How are you? How's Paul?"

The two made small talk for a minute or two while Gabriella stood awkwardly in front of the door, trying not to look as sad as she felt. It only took that long for Troy to turn around and pull her forward with Jackson.

"Spencer, this is my girlfriend Gabriella and our son, Jackson. Gabi, this is Spencer, my favorite hostess in the great state of California." Gabriella smiled politely and shook the girl's hand as Spencer shot Troy a look, smiling.

"So you're the famous Gabriella. I've um, read a lot about you recently." Spencer looked a little guilty about bringing this up. "I knew almost none of it was true because Troy is such a great guy, but it was still a shock. We've never really seen Troy with a girl. You know, Andres is going to be crushed, Troy. He was holding out for you."

Troy laughed good-naturedly and explained to Gabi that Andres was a waiter who happened to be gay and had developed a crush on him. She laughed, a real laugh, as she assured Spencer that Troy was most definitely _not_ gay. She could tell from the way that Troy interacted with Spencer that he thought of her only as a close friend, and had relaxed considerably. More of the staff made their way up to greet Troy and he embraced them all good naturedly. He wasn't kidding when he said he was a frequent patron.

Finally, while Gabriella was supervising Jackson, who was being cooed at by much of the female staff, Troy pulled Spencer aside and explained his plan to her. She nodded along and agreed enthusiastically to help him. Troy went to Gabriella and told her his parents were only a few minutes away and they should get to their table. She nodded and laughingly pulled Jackson away from the group, promising them that they'd be back another time. She led him over to Spencer and murmured something to him. He nodded and ran over to Spencer. She leaned down and lifted him into the air.

"You are such a cutie! Come on, want to go explore?" He nodded vigorously and after Spencer had instructed another hostess as to which table was theirs, she carried him off. The couple was led to a table that was located in a very private area of the restaurant. No one could really see them unless they really tried to (which was probably what Troy had asked for) but they could see almost the entire restaurant. They sat down and Troy tried to reassure Gabriella, who looked like she might throw up, that she had nothing to worry about.

A few minutes later, they saw Jack and Lucille Bolton walk through the door. They watched as a hostess spoke a few words to them and they began to make their way back. This was their regular table. Troy stood, reaching out to hug his mother and father as they reached the table before sitting back down and once again taking Gabriella's hand in his. His parents took their seats, but did not notice the extra seat and their circular table.

They sat in silence for a minute. Gabriella stared at the tablecloth, Troy stared at her and his parents took in the two of them.

Finally, Lucille broke the silence. "You've got some nerve, you know? I didn't expect you to leave, but I sure as hell didn't expect you to just waltz back after this many years like nothing happened."

Troy looked at his mother with surprise indignation and opened his mouth to say something, but Gabriella squeezed his hand. He looked over at her and she shook her head lightly. He locked eyes with her for a few moments, then leaned back in his seat.

"You just up and left him with no excuse, disappeared from the face of the Earth for almost six years, and then all of a sudden you pop up again and think that life can just go on the way it did when you guys were in high school. It doesn't quite work that way. I watched my son cry every day for weeks over you. I watched him sink into depression. He hardly slept, hardly ate, stopped seeing his friends. He stopped playing basketball for a while because he said it reminded him of you. _Everything_ reminded him of you. You broke his _heart_, Gabriella. Do you understand that? And I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and watch you do it all over again."

Anger flashed across Troy's face as he opened his mouth to tell of his mother, but once again, Gabriella stopped him.

"Troy, hush. This is something I need to do," she told him softly. He started to protest but she cut him off. "I will not be the cause of an argument between you and your mother. This is between us right now. Let me do this."

Lucille looked between the two of them, confusion softening her anger slightly. Gabriella turned to address Lucille.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for how I handled things five years ago. I wish things had not happened the way they did. However, if I could go back, I wouldn't change what I did that day. It broke my heart to have to do that to him, but what I did, I did so that Troy could have a future. I did it so that Troy could realize his dreams. Every day, I had to cope with that pain, knowing I broke his heart, and I had the reminder of what I did every day. I can't change anything that happened; I can only hope that we can move past it in the future." Troy wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. Lucille now looked thoroughly confused, as did Jack. Troy waved over a passing hostess and murmured something to her. She nodded and walked away, and a few moments later, Spencer emerged and led Jackson to their table.

"Mom, Dad, this is our son, Jackson," Troy said as Gabriella lifted Jackson into his seat. Lucille's eyes widened and her eyes flicked rapidly between Troy, Gabriella and Jackson. Jack leaned back in his seat, shaking his head.

"Son, you really did it this time," he said softly, letting out a huge sigh. Lucille seemed incapable of speech.

"We may have made a mistake senior year, but I wouldn't take any of it back," Troy said, and he truly meant it. "Things may have been easier if we hadn't done what we did, but we're both stronger people because of this. We just want to move past it and get on with our future as a family."

"Mommy, who are they?" Jackson piped up. All eyes turned to him.

"Baby, these are Daddy's parents, your grandma and grandpa," Gabriella explained. Jackson smiled and nodded, turning his attention to the new people. "Say hello, Jackson."

"Hi Grandma and Grandpa," he said. Lucille and Jack finally regained some composure and smiled to the young boy.

"Hello, dear. You are just adorable, aren't you?" Lucille cooed. He blushed and turned his attention to his coloring pages. He colored happily as Troy and Gabriella waited nervously for his parents to process the information and register that gravity of the situation that the young couple had found themselves in.

Finally, Jack spoke up. "Gabriella, Troy. We can see now that this is a much different situation than we thought. You both now have another being to consider when making your decisions, and we know that neither of you would take that responsibility lightly. Gabriella, although we really do wish you had gone about the situation a little differently, we get that your heart was in the right place and you really did want Troy to have the best future possible." At this, Gabriella nodded vigorously. "And as much hurt that our family has seen because of that decision, we understand that it was clearly never your intention to hurt anybody. You love our son more than almost anyone in this world, we can see that. We also know that he loves you and that both of you make excellent parents. So Gabriella, please accept our apology."

"Of course." Gabriella could feel herself getting emotional and took a sip of water to try and calm down. This was more than she had hoped for.

"Then welcome back, hun." Jack rose and walked around Troy to embrace Gabriella. He had been like a father to her, and she was incredibly relieved to have him back. Lucille also rose to hug the girl who she felt to be her daughter, and they all sat down happy to have resolved something that had haunted them all for so long. At that moment, Andres made his way to their table and they placed their orders. As he walked away, Lucille turned to Gabriella.

"So please tell me you videotaped _everything!_"


End file.
